✦ Plain-English Summary

Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Coronavirus and Other Measures) 2020

What it does

This bill made temporary changes to welfare payments, family assistance, and veterans' benefits to provide extra financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also made some longer-term adjustments to how young people qualify for youth allowance and updated rules around paid parental leave.

Why it matters

Australians who were struggling financially during lockdowns and economic disruption got faster access to extra payments without the usual waiting periods or strict eligibility checks. For families and young people, it meant clearer pathways to support when they needed it most.

Key details

• Economic support payments started the day after the bill passed (no waiting around) — these were one-off or temporary boosts to welfare, family tax benefits, and veterans' payments
• Youth allowance changes (starting 1 January 2021) made it easier for young people to prove independence and count paid work and farm work towards their eligibility
• Parental leave and child support updates took effect from 1 January 2021, adjusting work requirements for paid parental leave and how child support obligations were calculated

Official Description

Amends: six Acts to provide for two rounds of additional economic support payments of $250 to certain income support recipients and holders of eligible concession cards; the Social Security Act 1991 to: recognise the six month period between 25 March and 24 September 2020 as contributing to existing workforce independence criteria for youth allowance; and create a temporary pathway for young Australians, who are seeking to qualify as independent for the purposes of assessing youth allowance (student), to encourage them to undertake seasonal agricultural work; the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 to temporarily extend the paid parental leave work test period from 13 months prior to the birth or adoption of a child to 20 months for parents who have had their employment impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 to increase the maximum amount that eligible families are able to access after a stillbirth or a child's death shortly after birth up to the child's first birthday, irrespective of whether this is their first or subsequent claim; and the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 to enable the minister to determine average weekly earnings trend figures ordinarily published by the Australian Statistician, for child support assessment purposes, where the publication of this trend figure has been suspended.

Committee Referrals

Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

No votes yet.

No votes were recorded for this bill.