discount. Therefore, concessions can be highly valuable, and consumers not receiving concessions are incurring significant monetary detriment. The issue of eligible consumers not receiving concessions has also been investigated by The Australia Institute. They found that across only four Centrelink payments Parenting Payment, Carer – Allowance, Disability Support Pension and Bereavement Allowance 168,000 Australians were – missing out on assistance to which they were entitled. The unused benefits amounted to $623 million. The government does not actively promote awareness of these entitlements and this was the main reason for potential beneficiaries out’. Other problems included complex ‘missing paperwork, people dropping off company systems due to a failure to renew concession status periodically, and a fear by beneficiaries of stigmatisation. Financial counsellors and industry can all play a role in helping people access concessions and grants Financial counsellors will often aid consumers to apply for concessions for which they may qualify. A for a financial counselling client is often a patchwork of smaller fixes. For example, access ‘solution’ to a concession and possibly a grant, a payment arrangement for debt, a moratorium for debt etc… Negotiating these different arrangements can be very time consuming. Workshop participants also emphasised that industry has an important role to play in advising customers of the existence of concession and grant programs. It was also noted that there could be regulatory requirements to proactively check for eligibility. Interviewees confirmed that some industry frontline staff and hardship departments actively identify eligible consumers who are missing out on concessions. The energy and water ombudsmen also carry out this process of identification. Some financial counsellors said that sometimes industry workers impede clients from getting utility grants, refusing to supply the forms due to pre-judging a person’s eligibility, when they in fact have no actual role in this assessment. Those that present to financial counsellors get assistance to pass this block. Concessions and grants do not target all those who need assistance Eligibility for many concessions and grants are frequently based on criteria such as holding a health care card. However, this cohort does not adequately include some groups who commonly are unable to pay their bills. The water industry’s latest research shows that the segment most likely to present with bill hardship is the formation’ group households with children, who have many ‘family – expenses relative to household income. This cohort is typically not eligible for concessions or grants.
discount. Therefore, concessions can be highly valuable, and consumers not receiving concessions are incurring significant monetary detriment. The issue of eligible consumers not receiving concessions has also been investigated by The Australia Institute. They found that across only four Centrelink payments – Parenting Payment, Carer Allowance, Disability Support Pension and Bereavement Allowance – 168,000 Australians were missing out on assistance to which they were entitled. The unused benefits amounted to $623 million. The government does not actively promote awareness of these entitlements and this was the main reason for potential beneficiaries ‘missing out’. Other problems included complex paperwork, people dropping off company systems due to a failure to renew concession status periodically, and a fear by beneficiaries of stigmatisation. Financial counsellors and industry can all play a role in helping people access concessions and grants Financial counsellors will often aid consumers to apply for concessions for which they may qualify. A ‘solution’ for a financial counselling client is often a patchwork of smaller fixes. For example, access to a concession and possibly a grant, a payment arrangement for debt, a moratorium for debt etc… Negotiating these different arrangements can be very time consuming. Workshop participants also emphasised that industry has an important role to play in advising customers of the existence of concession and grant programs. It was also noted that there could be regulatory requirements to proactively check for eligibility. Interviewees confirmed that some industry frontline staff and hardship departments actively identify eligible consumers who are missing out on concessions. The energy and water ombudsmen also carry out this process of identification. Some financial counsellors said that sometimes industry workers impede clients from getting utility grants, refusing to supply the forms due to pre-judging a person’s eligibility, when they in fact have no actual role in this assessment. Those that present to financial counsellors get assistance to pass this block. Concessions and grants do not target all those who need assistance Eligibility for many concessions and grants are frequently based on criteria such as holding a health care card. However, this cohort does not adequately include some groups who commonly are unable to pay their bills. The water industry’s latest research shows that the segment most likely to present with bill hardship is the ‘family formation’ group – households with children, who have many expenses relative to household income. This cohort is typically not eligible for concessions or grants.