ANDREW Barr is asking the Canberra community to have their say on improving the fairness and targeting of the ACT Concessions Program by providing feedback on a new discussion paper released yesterday.

“The discussion paper, “Options to improve the fairness and targeting of the ACT Concessions Program“, has been developed in response to community suggestions on ways we can improve the concessions program,” Andrew said.

It outlines 10 options that explore how the ACT Government can provide a fair and sustainable system that continues to support those in our community in most need of assistance. The options outlined in the paper are:

1. improving the equity of utility concessions;
2. improving the sustainability of the Water and Sewerage Concession;
3. improving the equity of utility concessions for retirement village residents;
4. improving the equity of the General Rates Rebate;
5. more transparent general rates exemptions;
6. improving the sustainability of the Motor Vehicle Registration Concession;
7. more targeted seniors card eligibility;
8. improving the sustainability of the Public Transport Seniors Card Concessions;
9. more targeted concessions for Part Pensioners; and
10. improving equity by providing support for Family Tax Benefit A recipients.

“This paper is part of a community consultation available on the ACT Government’s Time to Talk website,” Andrew said.

“It follows the Expenditure Review of the ACT Concessions Program that took place earlier this year, which also included a public consultation period that received 24 submissions

“The ACT Government is committed to supporting vulnerable Canberrans, and – despite pressure on the ACT Concessions Program from the Commonwealth Government ceasing its annual $2.2 million in funding – has supplemented more than $13 million in the last two ACT Budgets to meet expected increases in the costs of the program. Expenditure on centrally administered concessions in the ACT has increased at an annual average growth rate of 9 per cent in recent years.

“Before further investments are made the ACT Government is interested in what improvements could be made to the program’s fairness and targeting to best address social disadvantage while also exploring ways to improve financial sustainability. We need input from the community to get the best result.

The ACT Government has worked closely with peak representative bodies in the community sector to prepare these options. I thank the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) for its help in developing this discussion paper.

ACTCOSS director Susan Helyar says “the ACT Government has heard our call for any changes to the Concessions Scheme to be guided by three key principles: setting eligibility to capture similar income households regardless of income source, improving the adequacy of concessions to help people cope with essential costs of living, and valuing concessions as a relatively small investment at a critical point in time to reduce risks of long term deprivation and exclusion.

“ACTCOSS supports resources being allocated fairly and will continue to work with the ACT Government to make the concessions scheme better.”

Community members are also encouraged to share their views by filling out the online feedback form available at the consultation on the Time to Talk website – www.timetotalk.act.gov.au.

The consultation is open until 22 January 2016.