Community Sector Leaders to Provide Input on Carbon Assistance

With the Gillard Government committing the bulk of carbon price revenue to assisting households, a working group of community sector leaders has been set up to provide advice on how this can best be achieved.

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, says the opinion of the 'Household Assistance Working Group' is essential to the government as it represents vulnerable Australians and those the Government wants to ensure receive the most generous assistance.

Jenny Macklin will host a meeting with community organisations on Friday 13 May in Melbourne to seek the views of community and welfare groups on the Government’s carbon price household assistance package.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet says the Gillard Government has confirmed that more than 50 per cent of the revenue raised from a carbon price will be used to assist households. He says the Government has committed that this assistance for households will be permanent.

Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus says the government will be drawing on the advice of the community sector leaders to ensure the assistance package will effectively target low and middle income households and pensioners.

Macklin says she is looking forward to discussing options surrounding the household assistance package with non government organisations at the first meeting.

Members of the Household Assistance Working Group:
St Vincent De Paul
Carers Australia
National Seniors
UnitingCare Australia
Australian Council of Social Services
National Congress of Australia's First Peoples
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
National Shelter
Australian Council of Trade Unions
National Welfare Rights Network
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Council on the Ageing Australia

The Government’s final household assistance package will be announced in advance of the planned implementation of a carbon price from 1 July 2012.