City Circular

16/07/2022

Pandemic leave has been reinstated until 30 September.

30/04/2020

27/04/2020

Gas and electricity rebates up to $1600 in NSW

4.30pm 27 April 2020

The NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean, announced today today a $30 million expansion of the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) program, an increase in the maximum value of EAPA vouchers households can receive, and a change in the way the program is delivered so people can access assistance directly through Service NSW and more easily over the phone, as well as through existing providers such as Vinnies, Salvos and Anglicare.

Mr Kean said NSW residents can apply for rebates on electricity and gas through the Service NSW website.

"There are rebates available on your gas and electricity of up to $1,600.

"We're encouraging every person who's suffering financial loss or hardship during this time to sign up to the website,”said Mr Kean.

During the announcement, Minister Kean put out a reminder for independent retirees needing energy bill assistance to access the Seniors Energy Rebate Scheme for up to $200 off their energy bills. Available until 30 June, 110,000 people who are eligible for this scheme haven’t claimed it.

For more information or to access EAPA or the Seniors Energy Rebate people should visit the Service NSW website or call 13 77 88. For details on how to apply for EAPA online visit;

www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/energy-accounts-payment-assistance-eapa-scheme

18/04/2020

Anzac Day 2020

On Saturday 25 April, the following Anzac Memorial Services will be broadcast live on ABC TV and streamed on the Anzac Memorial and RSL pages:

5:30am-Dawn service from the Australian War Memorial, Canberra

10:00am-NSW Anzac Day service from the Anzac Memorial in Sydney

Lest We Forget

02/04/2020

Free Child Care Plan Unpacked
4.30pm Thursday 2 April 2020

Around one million families are set to receive free child care during the coronavirus pandemic by a plan announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison this afternoon.

Under the plan, the Government will pay 50 per cent of the sector’s fee revenue, up to the existing hourly rate cap based on a point in time before parents started withdrawing their children in large numbers, but only if centres remain open and do not charge families for care.

The funding will apply from 6 April based on the number of children who were in care during the fortnight leading into 2 March, whether or not they are attending services.

The plan supports families while also ensuring as many of the sector’s 13,000 child care and early learning services as possible keep their doors open for workers and vulnerable families.

Along with the JobKeeper payment, the plan means childcare centres can offer free education and care.

Priority will be given to working parents, vulnerable and disadvantaged children and parents with pre-existing enrolments.

The new system will see payments start flowing at the end of next week. It will be reviewed after one month, with an extension to be considered after three months.

The payments will be paid in lieu of the Child Care (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy payments.

Until the payments arrive, childcare providers will be permitted to waive gap fees for families who keep their children home, and families will be able to use the 20 extra absence days the government has funded for coronavirus related reasons without giving up their place in a child care centre.

Parents who terminated their child’s enrolment after 17 February are being encouraged to restore their arrangements, reinstating an enrolment will not require a child to be sent to child care and parents will not be required to pay a gap fee.

Reinstating an enrolment will hold a place for when parents are ready to take their child back to their centre.

The sector is expected to receive $1.6 billion over the coming three months from taxpayer subsidies because of the March 2 baseline that has been set, compared to an estimated $1.3 billion if current revenues and subsidies had continued and the significant reduction of enrolments the sector has seen.

Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the assistance package would ensure services remained open to serve families that needed to work and to support vulnerable children.

30/03/2020

What A Wonderful World

As a response to the devastation that COVID-19 is having on the arts and entertainment industry, John Foreman’s Aussie Pops Orchestra and friends have created an isolation orchestra performance of Louis Armstrong’s, What A Wonderful World to raise awareness of music industry charity Support Act.

Featuring Dami Im, Harrison Craig, Isaiah Firebrace, Silvie Paladino, Courtney Act, Rhonda Burchmore, Maria Venuti, Sheldon Riley, Lucy Durack, Trevor Ashley, Aydan Calafiore, Bert and Patti Newton, Casey Donovan, Denis Walter and the Aussie Pops Orchestra led by John Foreman.

While we're all staying at home, the talented musicians of the Aussie Pops Orchestra, together with some amazing Australian artists, have phoned in a song fo...

29/03/2020

Food and Debt Relief
2.40pm Sunday 29 March 2020

An additional $200 million will be provided to support charities and other community organisations which provide emergency and food relief as demand surges as a result of coronavirus.

Given the unprecedented nature of the situation, emergency relief services are being heavily relied upon and the expectation is that demand will increase.

The Community Support Package will provide flexible funding to support services where demand is quickly increasing, including:

Emergency Relief to help vulnerable Australians who need assistance with bills, food, clothing or petrol and increase and retain workforce capacity including volunteers.

Assistance for food relief organisations to source additional food and transport for emergency relief service providers, and rebuild workforce capacity.

Immediately scale-up services through the National Debt Helpline, and to support one-on-one tele-financial counselling.

Creating a short-form Financial Counselling course through Financial Counselling Australia to train new financial counsellors.

Expanding access to safe, affordable financial products through the No Interest Loan Scheme which provides an immediate financial relief alternative to other high-risk, high-interest products such as credit cards and payday loans.

29/03/2020

Mental health support for all
2.28pm Sunday 29 March 2020

An initial $74 million will be provided to support the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians.

The Government’s digital mental health portal, headtohealth.gov.au, will be a single source of authoritative information and guidance on how to maintain good mental health during the coronavirus pandemic and in self-isolation, how to support children and loved ones, and how to access further mental health services and care.

A new national communications campaign, delivered in conjunction with the National Mental Health Commission, will provide information about maintaining mental wellbeing, raise awareness of the signs of when you or a loved one needs to get additional assistance, and where to find further information, support and care.

$10 million will be provided to create a dedicated coronavirus wellbeing support line, delivered by Beyond Blue, to help people experiencing concern due to a coronavirus diagnosis, or experiencing stress or anxiety due to employment changes, business closure, financial difficulties, family pressures or other challenges.

Medibank has contributed $5 million to Beyond Blue to support this vital initiative.

$14 million will bolster the capacity of mental health support providers who have experienced an unprecedented surge in call volumes with funding increasing their capacity, including $5 million for Lifeline and $2 million for Kids Helpline.

The funding will also support other existing services, including digital peer-support to people with urgent, severe and complex mental illness who may be experiencing additional distress.

Health workers, who will be at the frontline of the pandemic, will get dedicated mental health support through digital platforms developed to provide advice, social support, assistance in managing stress and anxiety, and more in-depth treatment without having to attend in-person sessions.

To ensure that older Australians in aged care are not socially isolated despite visiting restrictions, $10 million will be provided to the Community Visitors Scheme.

The funding will mean extra staff to train volunteer visitors, who will connect with older people in aged care online and by phone, and assist older Australians keep in touch with the community and loved ones.

To help younger Australians stay on track in their education and training and prepare them for the workforce, $6.75 million will be provided to deliver the headspace digital work and study service and eheadspace. Mentors and headspace vocational specialists working in an integrated team will offer technical and life skills, providing a comprehensive digital support service for all young Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic and after.

For Indigenous Australians, whose elders and communities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts coronavirus, Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia will develop culturally appropriate mental health and wellbeing resources. These will be available and easily accessible across a range of platforms, including print, podcast, NITV, Indigenous print media and internet/social media platforms.

$28.3 million will be utilised to continue to deliver psychosocial support to Commonwealth community mental health clients for a further 12 months. This will allow additional time for people with severe and complex mental illness to complete their applications and testing for support under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

29/03/2020

Domestic violence support
2.20pm Sunday 29 March 2020

An initial $150 million will be provided to support Australians experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence due to the fallout from coronavirus.

The funding will assist programs under the National Plan to reduce Violence against Women and their Children including:

Counselling support for families affected by, or at risk of experiencing, domestic and family violence including men’s behaviour change programs which will provide a short, medium and longer term response to support men.

1800RESPECT, the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling service.

Mensline Australia, the national counselling service for men that provides support for emotional health and relationship concerns for men affected by or considering using violence.

Trafficked People Program to support victims of human trafficking, forced marriage, slavery and slavery-like practices.

Support programs for women and children experiencing violence to protect themselves to stay in their homes, or a home of their choice, when it is safe to do so.

A new public communication campaign will roll out to support those experiencing domestic violence over this period and to ensure those affected know where they can seek help.

Minister Payne and Minister Ruston will convene a COAG Women’s Safety Council meeting on Monday to discuss with the states and territories how to best deliver this funding to support local responses to this issue.

29/03/2020

Medicare support at home
2pm Sunday 29 March 2020

All Australians will now have access to telehealth to ensure continuity of primary health services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison announced this morning that $669 million will be provided to expand Medicare-subsidised telehealth services with extra incentives to GPs and other health practitioners to participate in the scheme.

Australians will be able to access support in their own home using their telephone, or video conferencing features like FaceTime to connect with GP services, mental health treatment, chronic disease management, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments, services to people with eating disorders, pregnancy support counselling, services to patients in aged care facilities, children with autism, after-hours consultations and nurse practitioners.

Providing the opportunity to get health services at home is a key weapon in the fight against coronavirus while limiting unnecessary exposure of patients and health professionals to the virus, wherever treatment can be safely delivered by phone or videoconferencing. This will take pressure off hospitals and emergency departments and allow people to access essential health services in their home, while supporting self-isolation and quarantine policies.

The GP bulk billing incentive will be doubled for GPs and an incentive payment will be established to ensure practices stay open to provide face to face services where they are essential for patients with conditions that can’t be treated through telehealth.

The new arrangements will be in place until 30 September 2020, when they will be reviewed in light of the need to continue the fight against coronavirus.