In its submission to the Discussion Paper: Options to improve the fairness and targeting of the ACT Concessions Program, ACTCOSS notes its support of fairer targeting of concessions to need, regardless of age or source of income. However, ACTCOSS also notes its concern with a lack of consistency in the ACT Government’s goals of ‘improving the fairness and targeting of the ACT Concessions Program’ and the options outlined in the Paper.
Of the ten options discussed in the paper, the majority appear to be cost-savings measures, ranging from a saving of $50,000 per year to $7m per year.
ACTCOSS' submission puts forward the viewpoint that the ACT Government should not be trying to seek any savings from the Concessions Program, and recommends the ACT Government undertake further and more detailed data analysis that will more clearly explain how the risks of changes to concessions to low-income households will be mitigated, before considering implementing any of the options outlined in the Paper.
ACTCOSS concludes its submission with a list of further recommendations of where the Concessions Program could be expanded or funding increased, to address unmet need in the community.
