The Law Handbook 2024

334 Section 5: Managing your money commence on enhanced income management access to the BasicsCard bank account and SmartCard. This operates like a standard Visa debit card except that participants cannot withdraw cash. The enhanced income management regime also expanded the target groups of people who could be referred onto income management and these are included above. As at 4 September 2023, entrance to the income management regime closed, and participants can now be placed only on enhanced income management. A person on a voluntary income management arrangement must end their agreement, and then volunteer for an enhanced income management arrangement. If you receive a Centrelink payment and fit the specified criteria for any of the following situations under the SSA Act then you can become subject to enhanced income management: • Queensland Commission referral; • disengaged youth; • long-term welfare payment recipients; • voluntary enhanced income management; • child protection; • vulnerable welfare payment recipient; or • supporting people at risk Voluntary Enhanced Income Management If you are in receipt of a social security benefit or pension, or ABSTUDY, and you live within one of the following areas then you can volunteer for enhanced income management: • Northern Territory, NT • Bankstown, NSW • Bundaberg region or Hervey Bay region, QLD • Rockhampton, Logan or Livingstone, Qld • Cape York and Doomadgee region, Qld • Metropolitan Perth, Peel region, Kimberley region WA • Ngaanyatjarra Lands, WA • Goldfields, Kununurra or Wyndham in the East Kimberley region, WA • Ceduna region, SA • Greater Adelaide, SA • Playford or Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, SA • Shepparton, VIC Exemptions and appeals People who are subject to income management have the right to apply for an exemption. The exemptions available depend on whether the welfare recipient is the main carer of a school-age child (ss 123UGB– 123UGG SSA Act). If a person is exempt, income management stops for 12 months, unless their circumstances change. People who are subject to income management and enhanced income management also have the right to appeal the decision to manage their income to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (the appeals process is explained in ‘Administrative Appeals Tribunal’, below.) If a child protection agency has recommended a person be subject to income or enhanced income management, that decision should first be appealed to the child protection agency that made the recommendation. Concession cards Health Care Card The Health Care Card is automatically issued to people receiving a social security allowance or benefit, to those receiving the maximum rate of FTB(A) paid by instalments, to some NDIS recipients, and to those receiving the Carer Allowance for a child with a disability. Parents who have a child with disability who do not receive the Carer Allowance may be issued with a Health Care Card subject to less stringent disability- related criteria. Individuals and families with a low income are issued with a low-income Health Care Card if their weekly income does not exceed the set threshold. Income is assessed from the eight weeks before the date a claim for a Health Care Card is submitted. Individuals and families with a low income need to make a claim for a card, and once assessed as eligible, their income can increase by up to 25 per cent above the threshold before the card is cancelled. Applicants for Health Care Cards must live in Australia, receive social security payments or supplements, and meet the residence rules. Pensioners whose payments were cancelled on 1 January 2017 because of changes to the pension