Fuel Crisis: Every Financial Help Option

If the fuel crisis has tipped you into genuine financial hardship — you can't afford food, you're behind on rent, you can't get to medical appointments — you may be eligible for a Centrelink Crisis Payment.

How much:

• Singles: $922.10 (one-off, equal to one week of your base rate)
• Couples: $701.50 each

This is paid on top of your regular payment, not instead of it. It hits your account within 1-2 business days of approval.

The catch: you must be on a qualifying payment already (JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Age Pension, DSP, Parenting Payment, etc.) and you must apply within 7 days of the crisis event. You can only claim once per crisis — but a sustained fuel crisis counts as a crisis event.

Call 132 850 or go to your nearest Centrelink service centre. Don't waste time trying to do this through myGov — it's faster on the phone or in person for crisis payments.

If you need cash faster than your next payday, you can request an advance on your regular Centrelink payment. This isn't extra money — it's borrowing from your future payments — but when you're stuck, it's interest-free and immediate.

How much you can get:

• JobSeeker/Youth Allowance: Up to $555.70
• Age Pension: Up to $555.70
• DSP: Up to $555.70
• Parenting Payment: Up to $555.70

Repayment: deducted automatically over 13 fortnights from your regular payment. That works out to about $42.75/fn — not nothing, but manageable.

You can request this through myGov (Centrelink online account → Payments and Claims → Make a Claim → Advance payment) or by calling. You may need to wait 12 months between advances.

If you're on a Centrelink payment, you're probably already getting the Energy Supplement — it's automatically included in your payment. But it's worth knowing what it is, because it's meant to help with exactly this kind of situation.

Current rates (per fortnight):

• Age Pension (single): $14.10
• Age Pension (couple, each): $10.60
• DSP (single): $14.10
• JobSeeker (single): $8.80
• Youth Allowance: $7.90
• Parenting Payment Single: $12.48

It's not a lot — $8.80 a fortnight doesn't fill a tank. But it's there, it's automatic, and it's included in the base rates shown on your Centrelink payment statement.

Several state governments have their own cost-of-living packages that can help offset fuel costs:

• NSW: $250 cost-of-living rebate for households earning under $180,000. Check Service NSW.
• VIC: $250 Power Saving Bonus — available to all households, no income test. Apply through Victorian Energy Compare.
• QLD: $1,000 cost-of-living rebate applied directly to electricity bills for all households.
• WA: $400 Household Electricity Credit — applied automatically to your electricity account.
• SA: $500 energy bill relief for concession card holders.
• TAS: $300 Winter Energy Supplement for concession card holders.

These won't help directly with petrol, but they free up money from your electricity bill that you can redirect to fuel costs. If you haven't claimed your state's rebate yet, do it today.

If your car needs repairs to improve fuel efficiency — or if you need money for transport while fuel prices are this high — Good Shepherd's No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) could help.

NILS offers loans up to $2,000 with:

• Zero interest
• Zero fees
• Flexible repayments over 12-18 months

You need a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or earn under approximately $70,000 for a household. Apply through a local community organisation — find your nearest provider at goodshep.org.au.

If the fuel crisis has left you genuinely unable to afford essentials, these services can help right now:

• Foodbank: Free food parcels, no questions asked. Find your nearest location at foodbank.org.au.
• St Vincent de Paul: Emergency financial assistance for bills, food, and transport. Call 13 18 12.
• Salvation Army: Emergency relief including fuel vouchers in some areas. Call 13 72 58.
• 211 helpline: A free service that connects you to local support services. Dial 211 from any phone.

There's no shame in accessing these services — that's literally what they exist for. Use our JobSeeker calculator or benefits check to make sure you're getting everything you're entitled to.