Social Services Act (No. 2) 1974

Social Services Act (No. 2) 1974 — Plain English Summary

This is a short, administrative piece of legislation that does one simple thing: it increases the dollar amounts of several social security payments made to vulnerable Australians. Think of it as a government decision to lift payment rates written into law.

Who does it affect?

• Age and invalid pensioners (older Australians and those with a disability) who receive a guardian allowance (an extra payment for unmarried pensioners caring for someone)
• Blind inmates of benevolent homes (people who are blind and living in government-supported care facilities) — though notably, their transitional payment rate was reduced in this amendment
• Inmates of benevolent homes (people living in publicly supported residential care) receiving age or invalid pension benefits
• People on unemployment or sickness benefit (the 1970s equivalent of what we'd now call JobSeeker)

What does it actually change?

The Act works by going into the existing Social Services Act 1947–1973 (the main legislation governing social welfare at the time) and swapping out old dollar figures for higher ones. For example:

• The weekly unemployment/sickness benefit for an adult was lifted from $26 to $31 per week