An open letter to elected members of the Northern Territory Government

We are writing to bring your attention to barriers within the NT Concession Scheme that significantly impact our most vulnerable community members from accessing essential cost-of-living support.

The NT Concession Scheme provides much-needed financial relief to residents for energy bills, council rates and garbage services, water and sewage, drivers licence and vehicle registration, and spectacles. However, there are significant barriers to accessing and maintaining concessions in the Territory. These include:

Annual renewal process: The current system requires users to annually re-register for concessions every year, creating obstacles for vulnerable populations to maintain their concession eligibility. People most impacted include:

• Individuals with transient lifestyles
• People with limited technology/internet access or skills
• Those with low literacy or English as a second, third or fourth language
• Residents experiencing frequent address or other contact detail changes (which can be a consequence of family and domestic violence).

If these people are unable to renew their concession eligibility every 12 months they lose access to critical concessions. They can end up in financial hardship due to non-backdated eligibility and this increases administrative burden on both clients, plus the not-for-profit and community services that support and facilitate applications for residents.

Eligibility gaps: A critical concern is the current exclusion of certain financially vulnerable groups. Job Seeker payment recipients are currently ineligible for the NT Concession Scheme, as are those on Youth Allowance.

This omission leaves those with the lowest incomes without essential cost-of-living support. This graph from the Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS) illustrates the disparity.

Eligible and ineligible Centrelink payments for NT Concession Scheme, NTCOSS December 2024
Graph prepared by Jonathan Pilbrow, Just Change

Solutions

There are solutions that exist, and if applied to the NT Concession Scheme can lead to a program and processes that are inclusive and efficient for the government and the concession holder.

We propose the following:

• Ensure all concession holders who will not see a change to their situation (like those on Disability Support Pensions or Aged Pensions) are automatically eligible for the concession scheme on an ongoing basis (no annual renewal required).
• Automate data sharing with Department of Territory Housing, Families and Communities and Jacana Energy. Allow those approved for the Energy Concession with The NT Concession and Recognition Unit to automatically have it applied to their Jacana Energy bill. The current two-step process is a barrier. A data-sharing process is already undertaken for council rates and garbage concessions.
• Implement a more seamless, less traumatic renewal process for vulnerable clients. If an approved applicant has already provided proof of ID or Aboriginality they should not be required to complete the process again 12 months later.  

Summary of proposed actions:

1. Conduct a comprehensive review of the NT Concession Scheme, with a focus on equity, accessibility and need.
2. Develop a more inclusive framework that captures all low-income residents and considers widening the eligibility criteria.
3. Implement technological solutions to reduce administrative and actual barriers.
4. Engage extensively with social services, sector stakeholders, and those with lived experience during the review process.

The proposed changes could

• Reduce administrative complexity.
• Minimise potential trauma in client interactions.
• Provide more consistent support to vulnerable community members.
• Ensure more efficient delivery of essential concessions.
• Reduce the cost-of-living burden to those in financial hardship. 

We respectfully request your commitment to

• Raising this issue within the Northern Territory Parliament.
• Supporting a comprehensive review of the current concession system.
• Developing more inclusive and accessible support mechanisms.

Your leadership in addressing these critical issues will make a meaningful difference in the lives of our most vulnerable residents.

Thank you for your attention and anticipated action.

Sincerely,

South Australian & Northern Territory Financial Counsellors Association 

Get involved!

Send a copy of this letter directly to your elected member

Click here to download the word version, and post or email it to your local member.
* Replace [Minsters name] with your local minister, also found here.
* Replace [Your name] with your name.

Ask the NT Government for a comprehensive review of the NT Concessions Scheme. 

NTCOSS Pre-Budget Submission 2024 - 2025  

Insights into Energy Concession Awareness and Energy-Related Behaviours among Concession Card Holders in Australia, Ferdi Botha and Kushneel Prakash, Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, University of Melbourne, 2024

Reforming electricity concessions to better meet need, a summary report is based on research by Alviss Consulting for the South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) and Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS). 2022

Testimonial from a financial counsellor in Darwin

“Around 80% of my clients who are eligible for the [Energy Concession] don’t have this or it has expired. Expiries are common because people change phone numbers so regularly, but why do they have to expire every year and so frequently?”

“Proving primary identity can be difficult. I had a client who was born in NSW in the 1940’s and could not quite remember the details to obtain her birth certificate online then by post. She was non-indigenous so 2 less ways for her to prove her identity. We ended up obtaining her NSW birth certificate luckily. All this because she had already been a member with an expired card and had to fully reapply! It should have been a lot easier for her.”

Case study from a financial counsellor who works with clients escaping family and domestic violence

“I had a client recently who had been eligible for the NT Concession Scheme for over 10 years. She didn’t know about it, and had not been told, and because of this had missed out on $1000’s worth of concessions that would have helped her cost of living.”

Case study from an emergency relief worker

“I have recently helped a man to get his concession card, he is in his 80's, doesn’t have a birth certificate, didn’t know the details about his parents.

We ended up calling territory families, and they said we could do a stat dec [statutory declaration].

He had attempted to apply for it previously, but didn’t complete it because he didn’t think he would be able to get a birth certificate without those details. Just lucky that he came to me for an ER appointment, and we got it together.”

Case study from a financial counsellor helping with electricity debt

“I had a client recently who I helped with a Jacana [electricity] disconnection. He was on disability payments. We called Jacana together to set up the payment arrangement. At the end of the conversation with Jacana they recommended for him to apply for the [NT] concession scheme.

When we hung up the phone, I asked whether he wanted help to apply for the energy concession and I could print the paperwork.  He said “nah, too complicated”. His roughly $1200 Jacana debt could have been paid off via the energy concession in one year, but he told me it was too hard to apply.”