South Australians doing it tough will receive a $244 payment to help make ends meet.
Premier Peter Malinauskas and Treasurer Stephen Mullighan put cost of living relief at the heart of their state budget handed down today.
“Lower incomes, people on fixed incomes like pensioners, people with families, with children in the public education system, that’s where our effort is oriented,” Malinauskas said.
Under the budget, about 210,000 people on the cost of living concession will receive a $244 once-off payment in the coming weeks.
Renters and self-funded retirees will also see their concession double, to $256.
“Perhaps give those people some confidence that they can afford to heat their homes as we get into winter,” Mullighan said about the relief.
Parents and guardians will be eligible for two $100 sport vouchers per child and see $200 in savings on material and services charges at government schools.
These measures come on top of cost of living relief delivered under the federal budget, which saw every taxpayer receive a cut and every household get $300 off their energy bill.
“Our job as a state government is to compliment what they are doing, getting to people in our community who need it most,” Mullighan said.
A record $2.5 billion was allocated to the health sector while $692 million was poured into training workers to meet future workplace challenges.
The budget also included $5 million to address domestic and family violence and $8.3 million to support tourism.
Under the new budget, the state debt is set to soar to $44 billion by 2027.