With unanimous support for his call to increase the rebate by $25 a year, Cr Michael Zaiter said Cumberland Council now had to make sure that those eligible were informed.
He said that only 4,600 of the 9,500 eligible for the ‘Additional Voluntary Rebate’ had applied.
“I believe many of our long term resident pensioners were unaware of the rebate,” he said.
“Our pensioners are our grandparents, our parents, friends and neighbours, they deserve any financial assistance help we can provide.
“Pensioners are the cornerstone of our community, but they are also some of the most vulnerable people who live within our community.”
He said that over the past three years, all residents had been impacted by increases to the costs of living such as groceries, electricity and insurances, but “these cost increases have significantly impacted our pensioners”.
The rebate will be increased from $75 to $100 a year for residents who own and live in a property within Cumberland for five or more continuous years, and the council will spread the word with an advertising campaign in the top five spoken languages used in the area. It will also write to the Minister of Local Government and local State MPs requesting that they advocate for an increase to the mandatory $250 pensioner rebate.
Cr Joe Rahme said with the cost of living skyrocketing and many struggling to keep their “head above water”, he “could only imagine how tough it would be for pensioners”.
“The help is really needed,” he said.
The cost to the council will range from $112,000 to $237,000 in 2024/25, depending on the number of additional applications.
