Farmers ... Don't Miss The Deadline!

Centrelink
Staff Eager
To Help

Kingaroy Customer Service adviser Tamara helped customers lodge claim forms for the Farm Household Allowance at a special Centrelink session held recently.

“My colleagues and I wanted to reach out to farmers in our community to show we care,’’ she said.

“They are going through a hard time and we want to make sure they know about the payments and services available to help.

“We held our event on a weekend just for them so we could create a comfortable environment where they could come in and ask any questions they had.”

Tamara said farmers received help with their claims and other payment inquiries.

“The claim form has been simplified and the easiest way to apply is online,” she said.

“But farmers can have quite complex financial circumstances so it was a good opportunity to spend the time explaining claim processes and the information we need to assess their eligibility.

“It was rewarding to get positive feedback from farmers on the day who said they appreciated the office being open just for them.

“Once word gets around I think we might see more farmers coming into the office in the future.

“Farmers can continue to receive the same level of service and help with their claims at any time during our normal business hours.”

November 27, 2018

Drought-affected farmers who are yet to apply for Farm Household Allowance are being urged to act quickly to ensure they don’t miss out on thousands of dollars in extra payments available under the scheme.

As part of its commitment to helping farmers through the drought, the Federal Government introduced two supplementary FHA payments this financial year, totalling up to $12,000.

To be eligible for the first payment of up to $6000 for couples, or $3600 for singles, farmers must lodge their FHA application form by December 1.

Human Services Minister Michael Keenan said the payments were on top of the regular fortnightly benefits farmers received under the FHA scheme, and the money was available as a lump sum.

“This is extra money that was made available by the Coalition to help farmers keep their heads above water during what we recognise are extremely difficult times,” Mr Keenan said.

“We don’t want anyone to miss out, which is why we are urging farmers who haven’t yet applied for FHA to do so before the December 1 deadline.”

More than $12.7 million has already been distributed through the first round of supplementary payments and those who miss the deadline will still be eligible for the second payment, which will be distributed in March next year.

* * *Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud also urged farmers to apply.

“Your local Rural Financial Counsellor will help you fill out the application form for free,” Minister Littleproud said.

“They’re the angels of this drought.

“We are also investing an extra $5 million into the free Rural Financial Counselling Service to help drought-affected farmers apply for FHA, and the form has been shortened and simplified.”

Nearly 5000 FHA claims have been lodged so far this financial year, compared with just 1250 the previous year.

The increase reflects the changes made to the FHA scheme to make it easier for farmers to access assistance.

These include increasing the timeframe that people can receive FHA from three to four years, and doubling the farm asset threshold.

An expert panel is also currently reviewing FHA to see whether further improvements can be made.

The panel will make its recommendations to government in the first half of 2019.