Parliamentary question without notice | Cost of Living Concession
12/12/2015
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion questions regarding the new cost of living allowance concession.
Leave granted.
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Back some time in May, the government announced the introduction of the cost of living concession. It was to be not just for homeowners paying council rates but also for all South Australians who meet low income criteria. Payments are either $100 or $200, I understand, depending on whether a person is a homeowner or a renter.
The government is obviously very proud of this payment, particularly the fact that it now includes a $100 payment eligibility for low income earners. However, it seems to me that the implementation of this project could be somewhat problematic. First, low income renters do not seem to know, from my consultation and research, that the payment exists or is available to them. Secondly, the application process seems to have some accessibility issues for people with disabilities wishing to apply; and, thirdly, there does not seem to be any particular way to get further information or support with the application process.
This afternoon on my behalf, my office called the concessions hotline on the number 1800 307 758 to get information on the application process for constituents, but instead of speaking to a real person—this is where it gets interesting—my staff member was greeted by an answering machine automated message, which stated the following:
Thank you for calling the South Australian concessions hotline. We are currently experiencing an extremely high volume of calls and are unable to take your call. If you are calling about the cost of living concession, you can access this information from the website from Friday 15 May.
In other words, it didn’t put the person on hold, it didn’t tell them who they could speak to to get more information: it told them that they could check a website in a little while’s time. Dignity for Disability is also concerned that the window to apply for a payment will see very few eligible people aware since the window expires on 31 October. Anyone who applies after this time will not be eligible until the following year. My questions to the minister are:
1.How does the government plan to ensure that low income earners in particular, and particularly renters, actually find out that this cost of living concession exists?
2.Is this possibly going to be another DCSI software debacle along the lines of COLIN?
3.Why is the hard-copy downloadable application form in PDF only, meaning that it could be inaccessible to people using screen readers?
4.Is there a plan to make a version of the application form that is in easy English and plain language for people with low literacy skills?
5.Why can’t those applying post 31 October access the payment for this financial year?
6.Why will it take up to 31 March—nine months if you applied on 1 July—for your payment to be received? Why does it take nine months to receive $100?
7.Why is the cost of living concessions helpline so busy that people calling up for information and assistance cannot be queued or even called back by DCSI?
8.Will the department be providing face-to-face support, as well as phone and internet support, for South Australians through an agency such as Service SA to assist people to apply for this concession?
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) : I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. I undertake to take her questions on the cost of living allowance to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion in the other place and seek a response on her behalf.
In reply to the Hon. K.L. VINCENT ( 30 July 2015 ).
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) :
1. As part of the implementation of the Cost of Living Concession (COLC), an extensive communication strategy has been developed that specifically targets potential COLC customers. This strategy includes a number of direct mail activities to existing concession customers which will help ensure the expected 205,000 COLC customers are well informed about the new concession. Specifically, 38,000 tenant households have received a letter, application form and reply paid envelope. These letters informed potential customers of the COLC, how to apply for the concession and also included information about other concessions provided by the state government.
The South Australian government website and all relevant concession webpages were updated with COLC information when it was announced and the ‘Are you Eligible for a Concession?’ brochure has been updated to include details about the COLC. These are important resources for those who are interested in the concession.
2. No.
COLIN (Cost of Living Information) is the name of the new data system for the administration of the COLC. The COLIN system will be a hybrid solution utilising commercial off-the-shelf systems and ‘Software-as-a-Service’ options. The department will purchase these components through standard procurement processes and will manage the project as a whole. This is a standard approach across government and will utilise IT systems that have a proven record.
3. The hard-copy downloadable application form for the COLC is in PDF format to ensure the integrity of the form remains as absolute as possible, which is common practice in government and business. The Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI) is aware that PDFs can be difficult to read for some users and so the Cost of Living website invites readers to email DCSI to request a copy in an alternative format.
Since 1 July 2015, a web-based online application form has been available that can easily be read by assistive technology including screen readers. Where this is not possible, the Concessions Hotline Customer Service Officers are able to assist applicants with their application (1800 307 758).
4. No, however Concessions Hotline staff are able to assist customers through their application process over the telephone.
5. Eligibility criteria and application timelines are outlined in legislation for the Cost of Living Concession. This states that applications for this payment must be made between 1 July and 31 October in the year for which the concession is sought.
6. The Cost of Living Concession is a new state government concession that replaces the former council rates concession for homeowner-occupiers and is also available to an estimated 45,000 eligible tenants, for whom it is a completely new source of state government assistance. As this is a new concession, the systems and processes required to implement the Cost of Living Concession are being developed concurrently with the assessment of applications and collection of new customer data, such as banking details for electronic funds transfer payments.
Unlike the other concessions administered by the state government, the COLC is paid directly to customers as opposed to featuring as a credit on a bill. This is a significant shift in practice and a number of different administration procedures, systems and processes must be implemented in order to achieve this.
Following assessment of applications, eligible tenants’ payments will be completed by early 2016.
7. Following announcement of the new Cost of Living Concession, the Concessions Hotline experienced an unprecedented demand of calls from potential customers seeking information about the new concession. From 1 July 2015 to 7 August 2015, the Concessions Hotline received 25,309 phone calls.
The Concessions Hotline allows all Customer Service Officers to be engaged on a call and a further ten calls to be queued waiting for answer. When the maximum number for the telephone system is reached, an automated message is activated that reads as follows:
‘Thank you for calling the South Australian Concessions Hotline. We are currently experiencing an extremely high volume of calls and are unable to take your call or offer a call back. Information about concessions can be obtained by visiting the concessions finder website at www.sa.gov.au/concessions. If you would like to speak with a Hotline Customer Service Operator, please call back later. We apologise for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience.’
DCSI has responded to the unprecedented demands on the hotline by increasing the Concession Hotline phone capacity to 28 lines, from 21. Additional staff and work practice changes implemented since 11 August 2015 have resulted in improved capacity to answer calls. The difficulties previously associated with the sustained high volume of calls to the Concessions Hotline have been significantly improved.
8. Although the concessions section does not offer a shop-front service, DCSI has implemented a number of strategies to ensure those South Australians who think they may be eligible for this concession apply. It is common practice for staff of the Concessions Hotline to assist customers with their application over the phone. While people having difficulty completing the application form may get assistance from family, friends or a source of community support (such as community organisations in their location), the staff of the Concessions Hotline are trained to identify if callers may be eligible for other concessions.
