Financial Information for rural and remote communities

Summary

The webinar, hosted by Services Australia, focuses on helping individuals in rural and remote communities understand changes to their financial and personal situations. It aims to simplify complex financial processes and eligibility criteria for various support services, including the Farm Household Allowance. The session covers income and asset assessments, as well as additional services like mobile centers and outreach support, ensuring participants are well-informed and prepared to manage their financial affairs independently.

Highlights

• A detailed walkthrough of the Farm Household Allowance eligibility and application process. 📝
• Understanding how income and assets are assessed for government payments. 🔍
• Insights on additional services like mobile centers and outreach support to assist rural communities. 🚐
• The role of financial counselors and self-help resources in managing financial changes. 🧑‍🏫
• Empowerment through financial education to enable self-sufficiency. 📚

Key Takeaways

• Discover how to navigate financial challenges in rural and remote areas with Services Australia. 🌾
• Get insights into the Farm Household Allowance and its eligibility criteria. 🏡
• Learn about the importance of income and asset assessments for government payments. 💰
• Explore the support services available, including mobile service centers and financial counselors. 🚌
• Understand the significance of informed financial decisions for long-term security. 📈

Overview

This engaging webinar, presented by Services Australia, offers a comprehensive guide for rural and remote communities to better navigate their financial landscapes. With Phil as your initial host, you'll explore the various ways you can manage your personal and financial circumstances effectively. 🌟

The discussion offers an in-depth look at the Farm Household Allowance, providing vital information on eligibility criteria, asset assessments, and the benefits of this support system. It's not just about drought relief, but about helping families achieve financial stability with the resources available. 🌾

Discover the additional layers of support available, such as mobile service centers, financial information services, and counselor assistance. These offerings ensure that no matter where you are, you have access to the tools and knowledge needed to make informed decisions and foster financial self-reliance. 🚌

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Welcome and Introduction The chapter "Welcome and Introduction" starts with the host, Phil, welcoming attendees to a Financial Information Services webinar. The webinar is focused on assisting rural and remote communities in understanding changes to their personal and financial situations. Phil mentions that the session will clarify certain rules and processes to make them more comprehensible to everyone. He also extends an acknowledgment on behalf of Services Australia.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians and Q&A Feature The chapter begins with an Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians, respecting Elders past and present of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations. It then introduces a live question and answer feature available for attendees of the webinar. Attendees can access this feature by clicking on an icon that looks like a speech bubble with a question mark, which is part of the live event interface.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Overview of Webinar Topics This chapter provides an overview of the webinar topics and includes instructions on how participants can ask questions while maintaining privacy. Participants are encouraged to use their first name only or ask questions anonymously through a checkbox option. Questions deemed beneficial for all attendees may be published in the chat by moderators. Participants are invited to start asking questions immediately, with moderators responding directly or sharing them for group viewing, depending on the nature of the question.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Financial Information Service Overview In this chapter, the webinar provides an overview of the Financial Information Service (FIS). It includes details on the role of FIS, the assessment of income and assets, and the support offered by Farm Household Case Officers. It also covers the general eligibility criteria for Farm Household Allowance and highlights the services provided by aged care and remote financial information service officers. Additionally, the chapter mentions agents and access points available for assistance.
• 04:00 - 05:30: Income and Assets Assessment The chapter titled 'Income and Assets Assessment' discusses the various support services available to individuals in rural, regional, and remote areas through mobile service centers and other resources provided by Services Australia. It highlights the convenience of accessing online services, allowing users to interact with the agency at their preferred time and location. The presentation outlined in the chapter is intended to deliver general information, with an emphasis on the accuracy of the presented material.
• 09:00 - 10:00: Farm Household Allowance Overview This chapter provides an overview of the Farm Household Allowance (FHA), highlighting that the information is up to date as of October 3, 2024. For the most current information, it's recommended to visit the official website or contact Services Australia for personalized advice. The chapter also introduces the Financial Information Service, emphasizing its role in providing education and information, although specific details about its functions were not included.
• 11:00 - 12:00: Farm Household Allowance Eligibility This chapter focuses on the Farm Household Allowance Eligibility, outlining the services provided to offer free, independent, and confidential information. The aim is to help individuals understand their financial options while considering the possible impacts of their choices. Although financial advice or opinions are not provided, the information shared is designed to assist in future financial decision-making.
• 13:00 - 17:00: Income and Asset Tests for Farm Household Allowance The chapter focuses on the criteria for determining farm household allowance, emphasizing the significance of income and asset tests. It explains that accessible income, which might differ from the income directly received, plays a crucial role. For accessible assets, their current value is taken into account, and deductions can be made for money owed depending on the security used. Additionally, certain assets are exempt from consideration in the assessment process.
• 19:00 - 21:00: Farm Financial Assessment and Improvement Agreement The chapter discusses the Farm Financial Assessment and Improvement Agreement, focusing on income and assets assessment to determine payment eligibility. It emphasizes that most types of income are considered in the income test, which, along with the asset test, is used to evaluate the possibility and rate of receiving a payment. Income types such as gross salary and wages (before tax or deductions) and farm profits are highlighted.
• 23:00 - 25:00: Activity Supplement and Age Pension Comparison This chapter provides a detailed comparison between the Activity Supplement and the Age Pension. It includes a discussion about business trust distributions, net rental income after expenses, and income from overseas pensions or income streams. Additionally, it covers income received from lifetime defined benefit superannuation pensions and deemed income from financial investments. The chapter directs readers to search for the 'deeming rules' on the services for further information.
• 26:00 - 30:00: Additional Support and Services This chapter discusses the various additional support and services available for health workers. It introduces a government website, australia.gov.au/healthheroes, which serves as a resource for health professionals in Australia. The chapter likely covers the types of support available, how healthcare workers can access these services, and any specific government initiatives aimed at assisting them.
• 33:00 - 38:00: Mobile Service Centers and Outreach The chapter titled 'Mobile Service Centers and Outreach' discusses the value of real estate assets, such as investment properties, land businesses, or farms (including machinery and stock). It includes a point about gifting free areas and explains how the value of assets is determined based on their market value. Additionally, it mentions that any debts owed against these assets, where the asset is used as security, will be deducted from the overall value.
• 39:00 - 43:00: Finding Local Supports and Conclusion This chapter explains the concept of net market value of assets using an example of a block of land. It emphasizes the importance of understanding market and net market values in relation to claims and payments. The chapter concludes by highlighting the need to disclose accurate asset values, especially when they exceed certain thresholds.

Financial Information for rural and remote communities Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 welcome and thank you for attending today's Financial Information Services webinar my name is Phil I will be your initial presenter today's webinar is about helping our Rural and remote communities navigate changes to their personal and financial circumstances we will clarify some of the rules and processes making it easier for everyone to understand on behalf of services a austalia I would like to acknowledge the
• 00:30 - 01:00 traditional custodians of the lands we live on I pay my respects to all Elders past and present of all Aboriginal and toist Islander Nations if you are attending today's webinar as a live event we have a Live question and answer feature to open the question and answer feature please click on the icon that looks like a speech bubble with a question mark in it this is located in
• 01:00 - 01:30 the top right hand corner of your screen to protect your privacy please use your first name only or tick the box that lets you send the question anonymously if you ask a question that our moderators think would be useful for others to know they may publish it in the chat for everyone to see otherwise they'll just respond directly back to you you can start to ask questions straight away and we will keep the
• 01:30 - 02:00 question and answer feature open for five minutes after today's webinar has finished during today's webinar we will cover the role of the financial information service the assessment of income and assets how our farm household case officers can help you the general eligibility for Farm household allowance our aged care and remote financial information service officers agent and access points for people in
• 02:00 - 02:30 rural Regional and remote areas our mobile service centers and other help that you can receive we will also give you a summary of our online services here you can interact with Services Australia at a time and place of your choosing today's presentation is of general information only this the information outlined in this in this webinar is is accurate as
• 02:30 - 03:00 of the 3rd of October 2024 please refer to our website for further information and any legislative changes that may occur into the future you are also able to contact Services Australia about your individual circumstances should you have further queries firstly a little bit about the financial information service we are an education and information
• 03:00 - 03:30 service we provide free independent and confidential information to everyone we can help you to understand your financial options the possible impacts of the choices that you have what you should consider when you are reviewing your circumstances noting that we do not provide Financial advice or opinions however the information that we do provide can assist you in making your future financial
• 03:30 - 04:00 decisions most of our payments are based on your level of income and assets we count accessible income which may be different than the income you directly receive regarding your assessible assets this is calculated on their current value which can potentially be reduced by money owing dependent upon the security used and some assets are exempt from our
• 04:00 - 04:30 assessment I will now outline income and Assets in further detail most types of income count in your income test we use this and your asset test to assess if you can get a payment and you calculate your rate of payment income includes gross salary and wages this is prior to tax or any other deductions profit from a farm or
• 04:30 - 05:00 business trust distributions net rental income after allowing for allowable expenses income received from an overseas pension or income stream income received from a lifetime defined benefit superannuation pension or deemed income from your financial investments for further information about the deeming rules please search deeming on the services
• 05:00 - 05:30 australia.gov.au/healthheroes
• 05:30 - 06:00 real estate assets such as an investment property or land businesses or Farms including the machinery and stock and if you have given money a away over the gifting free areas and I'll explain how this works the value of your assets is what you would get for them if you sold them at market value we will deduct any debt you owe that your asset is used used a security
• 06:00 - 06:30 for from its market value as an example if you have a block of land with a market value of $300,000 and you have a loan solely secured against the property itself of $200,000 then the net market value of this block of land would be $100,000 if you claim a payment we will ask about the assets you have and their value and you need to tell us if you're over asset values increase above what is
• 06:30 - 07:00 already recorded we need to know if the value has increased by $2,000 or more for financial assets such as the balance of your bank accounts $1,000 or more for non-financial assets being things like Motor Vehicles assets do not include the principal home and surrounding land up to two hectares on the same title if you use part of your principal home
• 07:00 - 07:30 for business only we will include this part in your asset test this could be rooms within your home land or buildings if you live on a property that is greater than 2 hectares and all on the one title then the extended land use test May exempt the whole property if all of the following apply you are age pension age and are eligible for the age pension or care payment
• 07:30 - 08:00 the house on the property has been your principal home for 20 years or more and you are making use of the land given your capacity and the capacity of the land for further information on this please search rural customers and primary producers on the services australia.gov.au/healthheroes whil you are underage pension age and
• 08:00 - 08:30 the superannuation is in the accumulation phase meaning that you are not receiving regular payments from it I'll Now cover the gifting rules that I noted earlier there are no restrictions on how we use our money but if you give away income or assets above the gifting free area it will still count towards your income and assets for 5 years
• 08:30 - 09:00 this also applies if you sell an asset for less than its market value the value of the gifting fre Aries is the same if you're a single person or a couple they are both $10,000 in One Financial year and $30,000 over a rolling 5year period as an example if $30,000 is given away on one day and say no gifts have been made
• 09:00 - 09:30 previously and 10,000 of this would be allowed and the other 20,000 will be maintained as a financial asset for 5 Years From the date the gift was made this would be the same assessment as if you still had the money in a bank account for that 5year period for further information on the gifting rules you can watch our recorded webinar on gifting and lump sums on the services Australia website just search
• 09:30 - 10:00 webinars on this website I'll now hand over to Sally thank you s thanks Bill hi I'm Sally a farmh household case officer and I'm here to talk to you about Farm household allowance Farm household allowance is not a drought payment it's a payment that helps commercial scale farmers and their families in financial hardship Farmhouse to allowance has a record re M to undertake activities to
• 10:00 - 10:30 help improve your financial position it's paid by Services Australia on behalf of the Department of Agriculture fisheries and Forestry once granted a farm household case officer like myself will ask you to complete a farm Financial assessment to assess your Farm's financial position your farm household case officer will then help you to develop your financial Improvement agre agreement using the information supplied
• 10:30 - 11:00 within your farm Financial assessment and by discussing your circumstances with you your case officer will provide tailored and practical support while you receive Farm household allowance and they will check in with you regularly please talk to your farm household case officer as soon as possible if you are having trouble meeting any of your o of your obligations or if your circumstances change
• 11:00 - 11:30 to be eligible for Farm household allowance you need to be a farmer or a partner of a farmer being an Australian citizen or permanent resident and be at least 16 years old and have a right or interest in land and use it for a farming Enterprise your farm needs to be located in Australia and must have a significant commercial purpose Farm household allowance is subject to the income and asset tests
• 11:30 - 12:00 however if eligible you will receive the maximum rate of payment you must also contribute a significant part of your labor and capital to the farm Enterprise you will need to enter into a financial Improvement agreement and have had less than four years of farm household allowance paid in the specific 10-year period each application is assessed on a caseby Case basis
• 12:00 - 12:30 Farm household allowance gives you time to improve your circumstances you do not have to receive the payment in a single 4-year block it can be paid over multiple shorter periods within the specific 10-year period when determining if your farm Enterprise has a significant commercial purpose we will consider all of the following the way it is conducted the size and scale s of your
• 12:30 - 13:00 farm Revenue including weather on average the previous three years of Revenue has been more than $660,000 a year and whether the revenue expected to be generated over a reasonable future period is more than $60,000 a year in making this decision we will consider available markets for produce the suitability of the land Financial arrangements and matters that are re ably likely to have an adverse effect on
• 13:00 - 13:30 profitability while required to be assessed in all circumstances these matters are not exhausted let's take a look at the income test income includes both farm and non-farm income non-farm income can be offset against a farm business loss customers who are eligible for a farm household allowance will be paid
• 13:30 - 14:00 the maximum rate of payment this eliminates fortnightly fluctuations and improves customers Financial stability Farm business income includes the income from your farm Enterprise and any other directly related businesses we will use your latest tax return to work out if you are eligible for Farm household allowance if your farm business has experienced a change of circumstances we
• 14:00 - 14:30 may be able to use an estimate of your farm business income and other business income your estimate should include all business income and allowable deductions for the full Financial year if you have nonfarm business and you expect your income to be different from your latest return you should give us a separate estimate if your farm business is losing money we will use that business loss to offset
• 14:30 - 15:00 any nonfarm income you do not have to apply for the offset we'll assess this when you report your income your nonfarm income can affect your payment you must tell us how much you earn each fortnite we may exempt money you get from the forc disposal of livestock from the income test we'll exempt the income if you deposit the funds into a farm
• 15:00 - 15:30 management account forced disposal including selling or destroying livestock due to Drought or natural disaster it may also include when your farm can't support the livestock if you have concerns for the welfare of the livestock or when the law requires you to dispose of the livestock when looking at the asset for Farm household allowance there is no
• 15:30 - 16:00 differentiation between farm and off-farm assets since June 2020 there has been a single threshold of $5.5 million net assets my colleague Phil already touched on what services Australia consider to be an asset asset hardship Provisions may be applied when required the asset test presumed customers with substantial assets apart
• 16:00 - 16:30 from their principal home use those assets to produce income to support themselves if substantial assets are held but they produce little or no income a person is expected to rearrange their financial affairs before calling on income support through the social security system however sometimes a customer circumstance could mean it's unreasonable to expect them to selfs
• 16:30 - 17:00 support the asset test allow the asset hardship rules allow for those customers to have certain assets disregarded when calculating their entitlement the asset highship rules for Farm household allowance are consistent with the rules for mainstream Social Security benefits the two key requirements that must be met are that the customer is in severe financial hardship and they are
• 17:00 - 17:30 unable to sell the asset I'll talk now about the entitlements for Farm household allowance payments are paid fortnightly and are the same amount as the maximum rate of jobseeker payment or youth allowance if you are eligible to receive Farm household allowance you will be pay the maximum rate of payment if you have a partner we may pay the allowance to both of you farm household allowance is
• 17:30 - 18:00 a taxable centering payment there is also an activity supplement of $10,000 per person that can be accessed the supplement has a lifetime cap applied the supplement can be used to develop skills access training and pay for professional advice to increase the capacity for long-term Financial Security Farm household allowance also
• 18:00 - 18:30 comes with an entitlement to a health care card or other allowances such as rent assistance the energy supplement telephone and pharmaceutical allowance and where applicable the remote area allowance Farm household case officers will provide tailored and practical case support to assist customers achieve their financial self-sufficiency goals you can get Farm household allowance for up to 4 years at any time
• 18:30 - 19:00 between the 1st of July 2024 and the 30th of June 2034 farmers who previously received the maximum of four years of payments in the first 10-year period from July 2014 until June 2024 may now reapply once granted your Farm household case officer will talk to you about
• 19:00 - 19:30 completing a farm Financial assessment a farm Financial assessment is a comprehensive assessment of you and your Farm's financial position it assists in identifying challenges and constraints as well as options for improving self-reliance Services Australia will pay up to $1,500 for the assessment the assessment is is completed online with help from a
• 19:30 - 20:00 financial assessor the assessment must be completed within one month from the date of request customers should talk to their Farm household case officer as soon as possible if more time is needed the farm Financial assessment will then be used by customers and their case officer to discuss and negotiate a financial Improvement agreement the farm Financial assessment is to be
• 20:00 - 20:30 completed online via Migo and have and has multiple Parts some of which are completed by the customer and some by the customer's Financial assessor the purpose of the assessment is to develop and evaluate options to improve the customer's financial position through it through an analysis of their resources liabilities barriers and goals rural Financial counselors are now able to complete Farm Financial
• 20:30 - 21:00 assessments a farm Financial assessor is an independent person who has appropriate qualifications Andor expertise to be independent the assessor must have no interest in or right to the farm the farm Enterprise or any related assets a financial Improvement agreement is a planning tool for farmers and
• 21:00 - 21:30 partners to work towards improving their capacity for financial self-reliance it sets out activities designed to help them achieve their goals and make progress towards their long-term goal customers must enter into a financial Improvement agreement to be eligible for Farm household allowance the agreement must contain at least one compulsory activity that needs to be completed by each review suitable activities may include
• 21:30 - 22:00 undertaking studying or training obtaining professional advice actively seeking or be willing to undertake paid work as well as any other activity approved by the farm household case officer that focuses on a direct Improvement to the customer circumstances customers will negotiate their financial Improvement agreement with their Farm household case officer the activities customers agree to
• 22:00 - 22:30 undertake form part of their Mutual obligations requirement to be eligible to receive Farm household allowance if customers have problems completing the activities it is important they talk to their Farm household case officer as soon as possible as they may be able to assist further undertaking these activities as set out in the financial Improvement agreement will mean that customers have
• 22:30 - 23:00 satisfied the mutual obligations requirement for the relevant period unlike job Seeker payment there is no requirement for a customer to undertake a minimum number of minimum number of hours or activity to meet the obligation this recognizes the substantial workload of running a farm which can vary over time depending on the farm the activity lent is a total of
• 23:00 - 23:30 $10,000 over a customer's lifetime for example if a customer uses $8,000 the first time they access Farm household allowance they can only access up to $2,000 for any other period they receive payments the activity supplement can only be accessed for the period when Farm household allowance is being paid customers can only use the activity supplement for an activity negotiated
• 23:30 - 24:00 with and approved by the farm household case officer and as outlined in the financial Improvement agreement activities Farm household case officers May approve could include studying or training that help customers move into another career counseling services and obtaining professional advice the activity supplement may also be approved to cover reasonable travel and accommodation costs associated with
• 24:00 - 24:30 an activity the activity supplement cannot be used to cover the cost of the following activities that are considered part of normal Farm operations expenses incured implementing any professional advice or training or any Capital Equipment purchases let's take a look at fir household allowance and the age pension at age pension age customers need to consider the following factors the rate
• 24:30 - 25:00 of payment for age pension compared to the rate of farm household allowance that farm household allowance is a Tim limited payment the difference between a pension concession card and a health care card the $110,000 activity supplement that is only available with Farm household allowance customers who are age pension age and who are granted Farm household allowance and who are also registered
• 25:00 - 25:30 for the pension bonus scheme will have their registration cancelled precluding any other entitlement to the scheme if a customer is thinking about retiring from farming they may be considering selling the farm or handing it over to family members customers are encouraged to see a financial information service officer and get free information before making any any decisions to understand how
• 25:30 - 26:00 payments could be affected the financial information service officer can provide information about succession planning and what to consider when applying for the age pension before a customer sells or gives away any asset they should find out how their payments may be affected there are also other payments and support customers may be entitled to they are family tax benefit assistance
• 26:00 - 26:30 for isolated children's scheme and Australian government disaster relief payments it's always advisable to check other sources of financial assistance and services provided by state government and other community organizations if you need more help or Information Services Australia can refer you to the rural Financial counseling service this service can help you understand your Farm's financial
• 26:30 - 27:00 position and the viability of your farming Enterprise they can assist to develop and Implement plans to improve your financial situation as part of their service rural financial counselors can also help customers to apply for Farm household allowance identify financial and business options negotiate with Farmers Financial lenders and ident identify other assistance
• 27:00 - 27:30 schemes rural financial counselors do not give family emotional or social counseling or financial advice but can refer to other professional services including accountants agricultural advisors Education and Training options or mental health services there is also our farmer assistance hotline a phone service here at Services Australia dedicated to Farmers and their Partners to talk to us about Farm household
• 27:30 - 28:00 allowance our staff can help customers with the claim process or direct them to other help if needed our website is also a great resource for all information about Farm household allowance and includes a list of paperwork customers will need to provide with their claim there's also a link to myub where Farm household allowance Claims can be lodged lastly our financial information service is a free service that can
• 28:00 - 28:30 inform and educate customers about financial matters I'll now hand you over to my colleague valma from our from our remote Outreach financial information service team thanks valma thanks Sy I'm VMA I'm a remote Outreach financial information service officer financial information officers provide free independent confidential financial information and education to help you make informed decisions about your financial needs you don't need to
• 28:30 - 29:00 be receiving a government payment to use our financial services we offer financial information and education not advice as we are not financial counselors or advisers we can talk to you by calling 13230 and ask to speak to a financial information officer when prompted we can show to we can show you how to build your skills and knowledge by using independent tools and resources
• 29:00 - 29:30 to help your financial capability and self-sufficient self-sufficiency we want you to make informed financial decisions throughout your life for a better short or long-term outcome we can explain how Financial products work and the effect on current or future government payments Services Australia hold webinars regularly they're online free and available to everyone we present on a range of topics
• 29:30 - 30:00 including superannuation for all ages including retirement planning you can even have a face-to-face appointment online through a video chat appointment using your own device these appointments are great for people who have more complex matters that would be difficult to resolve over the phone they're also great for people who can't come into a service center as you may simply just live too far away for our more vulnerable customers you can have a face Toof face appointment in your local
• 30:00 - 30:30 office in some locations we can do a presentation to a group of people to talk to to talk about all things money related we are a small team who travel to Regional and remote communities where customers may not have easy access to our services to talk about budgeting and all things money related we talk to people face to face and provide one-on-one budgeting support we also talk about returning or starting returning to or starting work
• 30:30 - 31:00 receiving a lump sum payment reading and understanding pay slips managing changes in circumstances such as ill illness or disability Parenthood divorce or becoming a carer we can talk to you about saving for the future or want to know more about your superannuation refer you to the relevant Financial Services where appropriate educate customers on financial tools and services as well Prov as well well as Provide support information and education to customers
• 31:00 - 31:30 who want to know more about anything money related prior to traveling to Rural and remote locations there's a lot of preparation and planning we work closely with community members and providers in Rural and remote locations to ensure we provide relevant financial information and education to our customers we can provide face-to-face interviews in Rural and remote locations as well as on communities if appropriate for our more vulnerable isolated
• 31:30 - 32:00 customers I'll now hand over to Brad thank you VMA my name is Brad and I'm an age care specialist officer age Care Specialists can help older Australians their families and carers with information on the different types of Age Care Services eligibility and referrals for government funded age care services financial information appointing a my age care
• 32:00 - 32:30 representative and or an authorizing a person or organization to inquire or enact on behalf of services Australia and connect them to Local Support Services some Age Care Specialists also provide Outreach support this involves helping customers in Rural and Regional locations supporting the mobile service centers deliver services in Aboriginal and torist St Islander communities and working closely with other community
• 32:30 - 33:00 specialist officers if you need help finding information about government funded agare Services you can go to myed care.gov Au call my agare on 1 180020 42 visit any Services Australia service center and for more indepth information about age care services you can talk to an age care specialist if one is
• 33:00 - 33:30 available in your area or you can call the my age care line on 1 800 200042 you can visit the myage care website to find out information about how to access an AG Care Service the website contains information on how to begin the My AG Care Journey you can learn about the different types of care start an assessment for accessing services and find a provider in your
• 33:30 - 34:00 area to manage services once applied the site also contains useful tools and information to assist you on your My AG Care journey I will now pass you to Jade the mobile service center manager thanks Brad as Brad mentioned my name is Jade and I am a mobile service center manager in the course of my role I visit the various agent and access points we have around the country agent and access points are sites in rural Regional and
• 34:00 - 34:30 remote areas where people can go to get help with their sen link Medicare and other government services agent and access points provide two different services at an agent site you can get assistance to set up your digital channels and online account they are able to accept documents you need to Lodge for your services Australia business like paperwork that supports your claim for an income support payment and conf confirm your identity you are also able to use the
• 34:30 - 35:00 self-service facilities phone and free Wi-Fi to complete your business yourself at an access point you have self-service facilities available including computers with printers and scanners phones and free Wi-Fi allowing you to complete your business digitally the staff at an access point can verify your identity documents for you as well it is important to note that staff in agent and access point sites are not Services Australia staff members
• 35:00 - 35:30 and therefore cannot access the system like we do they are there to provide support and assistance not complete customer business they are unable to make decisions in regards to payment or process claims let me show you how to navigate our website to find your nearest agent or access point on the services Australia website in the search bar type in agents and hit
• 35:30 - 36:00 search from the results select agent and access points on this page click on where to find us and from there you can find your nearest agent or access point by clicking on the link select the service you are looking for enter your suburb or postcode and hit locate
• 36:00 - 36:30 Services Australia operate a fleet of four mobile service centers golden waddle Desert Rose Blu gum and Kangaroo Port two mobile service centers travel throughout Rural and Regional Australia providing face-to-face services to communities who would otherwise find service access to Services difficult since the Inception of mobile service centers in 2006 mobile service centers have visited over 7,000 Regional
• 36:30 - 37:00 communities assisted over 200,000 customers and have traveled over 1 million kilm mobile service centers have been custom built and include self-service facilities full wireless wireless IT connectivity service desks a private interview room a small waiting room and a wheelchair LIF customers attend the mobile service centers for Cent link Medicare and DVA Services customers are able to access
• 37:00 - 37:30 the same level of service as they would in any Services Australia service center and staff are able to support customers to access Digital Services such as mgov a social worker is present on the mobile service center to support those experiencing crisis or more complex situations mobile service centers are also deployed to respond to emergencies such as floods and bushfires during during emergencies staff assist customers to access available supports
• 37:30 - 38:00 such as the Australian government Disaster Recovery payment and allowance which can be processed on board the mobile service center mobile service centers have assisted over 28,000 customers during emergency events during emergencies mobile service centers also provide access to specialist staff such as social workers indigenous service officers Community engagement officers and Multicultural services offices to support impacted
• 38:00 - 38:30 communities let me show you how to navigate our website to find the scheduled locations of our mobile service centers nearest to you on the services Australia website in the search bar type in mobile services and hit search from the results select mobile service center on this page scroll down and select when and where to find
• 38:30 - 39:00 us as our four mobile service centers travel all over the country locations are broken down into states by selecting your state you can view the visit schedule for the mobile service centers obtaining information about each location and time of visit for the current itinerary I will now pass you back to valma thanks Jade there are a lot of
• 39:00 - 39:30 payments and services available through Services Australia this can be complicated and how do you know what you may be entitled to you can use the online payment and service finder to find out what you may be eligible for and how to apply it will also assist in ensuring you are applying for everything based on your circumstances that you're entitled to you can also see how Chang in your income or situation may affect your
• 39:30 - 40:00 cental link payments the money the money smart website is a useful tool to better understand your money options it has lots of free calculators tips and guidance to help you manage your money it is not linked to any third parties so cannot and will not recommend anyone or anything although it gives a very general very good General understanding with useful information and education for budgeting Financial counseling managing on a low
• 40:00 - 40:30 income problems with paying your bills how to better understand your superannuation how loans actually work and lots more including for our younger generation understanding contracts for mobile phones and all things money related ask easy is a website that connects people who are in crisis with the support services they need and and a nearby to your location just click on the service you require for example need help with food
• 40:30 - 41:00 answer to the simple questions about your situation enter your postcode and where you are currently located it will give you a list of services and eligibility criteria available near you and what you need to do next free help is available for urgent need if your debts are out of control or you're really struggling to make ends meet it's important to act quickly there are some places you can contact for free for help and Guidance Financial
• 41:00 - 41:30 counseling is a free service offered by Community organizations Community Legal centers and some government agencies that can help you solve your money problems the national debt helpl line is a free service and open from 9:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday when you call this number you'll be automatically transferred to a local person in your state mob strong help debt helpl line is a free legal advice service About Money
• 41:30 - 42:00 Matters for Aboriginal and torist straight Islander peoples from anywhere in Australia the hel line is open 9:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday free legal advice if you're in debt and have legal problems Community Legal centers and legal a agencies offer free legal advice in every state and territory the money site the money smart website has a section on trouble with debt and Urgent money help there are
• 42:00 - 42:30 also tips on how to approach your credit provider to talk about hardship Assistance or extra time to pay your bills byv is a simple and secure way to access government services online in one place you can manage most of your services Australia cental link Information With Us online using the mobile app or by phone self-service you can make a claim access and update your information 24
• 42:30 - 43:00 hours a day 7 days a week from the privacy of your home or anywhere there is internet or Wi-Fi to get more information go to the services Australia website create a myub account to access more government services and even YouTube where you will find today's webinar contact numbers for our Specialists financial information where you'll get financial information and education farmer assistants helping help
• 43:00 - 43:30 during tough times aged Care Specialists home care and aged care queries social workers at times of need indigenous call center abinal and testr Islanders and Multicultural phone service in your own language on behalf of our production crew and myself thank you for joining us today we hope hope that you can join us again in the future for webinars which
• 43:30 - 44:00 we can which can be found on the services Australia website after being with us today and if you think this webinar may be useful to someone you know the recording will be available on our services Australia website and on YouTube we hope that you found financial information and education today and be better informed and able to assist you to be more self-sufficient now and into the future thank you