October 16, 2018
There’s some good news for farmers put off by the paperwork from applying for the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) … the application form has been simplified and cut by a third.
The fortnightly payment is designed to help farming families facing hardship because of the drought, however, anecdotal evidence suggests people who are eligible for the assistance have not been applying.
An information session to encourage local farming families to find out more about the FHA will be held this Saturday morning (October 20) from 10:00am to noon at the Centrelink office at 21 Markwell Street, Kingaroy.
Centrelink staff will explain who is eligible for an FHA payment, how to create a myGov account and claim online, what documents are needed and what support is available.
There will also be help on hand to submit an application using the Centrelink computers.
Farmers need to bring along three original identification documents (eg. a driver’s licence, firearms licence, birth certificate or passport) as well as documents detailing their assets, property and income.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said no one should be too proud to apply for the payment.
“Farmers should also remember that a Rural Financial Counsellor can help them fill out the form for free,” he said.
“The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) currently has around 4000 active clients, up from the usual 3000. The government is providing an extra $5 million to the RFCS to help meet the extra demand.”
Human Services Minister Michael Keenan said although applications for FHA had more than doubled compared with last financial year, there were still many farmers who were yet to access the support.
“In 2017-18 we received around 1250 applications for FHA – that has increased to 3000 applications already this financial year,” Mr Keenan said.
“By opening our regional services centres on Saturdays, we are giving farmers who haven’t yet applied the chance to access advice and one-on-one assistance from our FHA case officers who can help them complete their claims forms.”
* * *
Mr Littleproud recently announced an independent review of the FHA to make sure it’s doing what it should.
The review panel is holding face-to-face consultations across Australia.
To find out more or to make a submission online visit https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/fha-review-2018
Earlier changes to the FHA include extending it from three to four years, increasing the farm assets test eligibility threshold from $2.6 million to $5 million and paying extra lump sum payments of up to $12,000.
[UPDATED]
