Mob Matters

I speak to kids in high schools almost every week… and one of the many things I’ve learned from them is that having a high school education has never been more important.

It’s not just about getting a job so you can have money and look after family. It’s also about developing confidence, leadership skills, and building strong connections to community.

Now, it can cost a lot to send kids to high school… but you know you can get some help with that. Centrelink has this thing called ABSTUDY which basically helps our mob with covering the costs of education. You might wanna use it on some books, on school fees or even on uniforms.

But you need to do something about it now ‘cos next year might be too late. It’s easy to put in a claim – just call 1800 132 317. The sooner you claim, the sooner you’ll know what’s happening.

Now, some mob need to send their kids away to study because there’s no high school nearby.  This means they’re also living away from home. ABSTUDY can help with this too. In fact, you might be able to get ABSTUDY Fares Allowance to help with their travel costs. But you’ve gotta get in early.

Centrelink can help arrange and pay for this stuff, but you mob need to put in a claim well before your kids travel and before school starts next year. Getting ABSTUDY before Term 1 starts means your kids can start on time and get the best shot at the education they deserve.

Wanna claim ABSTUDY for 2019? Then call 1800 132 317.

One thing all mob understand is the importance of family and why we need to look after the people we love.

Sometimes that means we find ourselves caring for someone with a disability or a serious illness. We might even be looking after an elderly family member or an aunty or uncle who can’t get around so good no more.

You could be 22, 42 or 72 – it doesn’t matter. If you’re a carer, then listen up…. ‘cos over the next few weeks them Canberra mob are bringing in some new services that’ll help you out.

From October, you’ll be able to access something called the Carer Gateway. It’s a website - carergateway.gov.au – that’ll give you information and links around things like peer support, counselling, coaching and educational resources.

You’ll also be able to jump on the phone and yarn to someone who’s there to help you cope, ‘cos we all know that caring for people gets tough at times and you just want to talk to someone who gets it. You can check it out by calling 1800 422 737.

Coming with these changes is gonna be something called a Carer Allowance income test. It’ll have an income threshold of two hundred and fifty thousand bucks, so it won’t bother too many mob that I know.

Still, it’s stuff you need to know about… and if you get a Carer’s Allowance, you might just be getting a letter from Centrelink soon asking you to provide some information.

Jump online to find out more - carergateway.gov.au.

In the last couple of months, Centrelink have made changes to the Family Tax Benefit and how it’s connected to kids’ health checks. It’s gonna affect some of you mob that have kids who’ve just turned 4 or might be about to turn 4. Raising proper deadly kids can be hard and the costs can really add up. If you're like me, you want ‘em to have good tucker, clothes, toys and stuff... but there's not always enough to go around. That’s where the Family Tax Benefit comes in – to help you cope.

And we all want our kids to be healthy. We want ‘em to eat well and exercise, but we don’t want ‘em getting sick. That’s why getting health checks before they start school is a good way to see how they’re traveling.

You’ll get a letter telling you if your kid needs a health check and then you just need to let the Human Services mob know it’s been done before your kid turns 5. Easy. If you need to arrange a health check, go and have a yarn with a health professional at your nearest clinic.

Just think about it - in this new mob generation, we’ve got the next Baker Boy, we’ve got the next Cathy Freeman… in fact, we’ve probably got hundreds of ‘em. And who knows - we might even have the next Prime Minister! By looking after them, you look after yourself.

Go to this website for more info: www.humanservices.gov.au and search ‘healthy start’.

Recently, Centrelink made changes to the Family Tax Benefit and those changes are gonna affect some of you mob that have kids.

Now I know raising kids can be hard and the costs can really add up. You want them to have good tucker, clothes, and toys, but there's not always enough to go around. That's where the Family Tax Benefit comes in - it helps you cope with raising proper deadly kids and giving them the best start in life.

But you need to do your bit too. Just like getting them to eat healthy food and doing exercise, you have to make sure our young mob are up-to-date with their immunisation shots so they’ve got protection against getting sick.

And that means you can keep getting the Family Tax Benefit.

It’s basic stuff - protect your kids with immunisation, protect yourself with the help you deserve.

Get more info at www.humanservices.gov.au/immunisation