Centrelink Payments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in 2026

ABSTUDY provides financial support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at every education level — from primary school through to postgraduate university study. Unlike Youth Allowance or Austudy, there's no age limit for ABSTUDY.

The Living Allowance rates match other student payments: $377.40 per fortnight if single under 18 living at home, $632.40 if single under 25 living away from home, and $762.70 per fortnight if aged 25 or over. ABSTUDY also provides unique allowances not available through other student payments: the School Fees Allowance covers compulsory school fees at government and non-government schools; the Book Allowance (now called Incidentals Allowance) pays $20.80 per fortnight for study-related costs; and the Away from Base allowance covers travel, meals, and accommodation for students who must attend residential study blocks. To be eligible, you must be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, identify as such, and be accepted as such by your community.

The Community Development Programme (CDP) is the remote employment and community development service operating in over 1,000 remote communities across Australia. If you live in a CDP region and receive JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, or Parenting Payment, your employment services are delivered through CDP rather than Workforce Australia.

CDP participants receive the same payment rates as other job seekers ($762.70 per fortnight for single JobSeeker). The key difference is the activity requirements: CDP activities are designed to be culturally appropriate and relevant to remote communities, including land management, cultural activities, ranger programs, community services, and seasonal work. CDP activities earn 20 hours per week of mutual obligations.

Bottom line? CDP providers can also help with training, accredited courses, and enterprise development specific to your community. The program operates in regions where mainstream employment opportunities are limited.

The Remote Area Allowance (RAA) is an additional payment for Centrelink recipients who live in a designated remote area of Australia. RAA is not specifically for Indigenous Australians — it's available to anyone living in a remote area — but it disproportionately benefits Indigenous communities due to their geographic distribution.

RAA pays $18.20 per fortnight for a single person, $15.60 per fortnight per person for couples, and $7.30 per fortnight for each dependent child. While the amounts seem small, RAA is not income or asset tested, is paid automatically once your address is confirmed as remote, and is paid on top of all other entitlements. To check if your location qualifies as remote, Centrelink uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics Remoteness Structure classification.

Areas classified as Remote or Very Remote qualify. RAA is available to recipients of most Centrelink payments including Age Pension, DSP, JobSeeker, Parenting Payment, and Youth Allowance.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians can access additional health and housing supports alongside their Centrelink payments. The Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment Measure provides free or discounted PBS medicines for eligible Indigenous Australians with chronic conditions — your GP registers you for the program.

So what does this actually mean? Indigenous-specific primary health care is available through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and Aboriginal Medical Services, which provide bulk-billed culturally safe care. For housing, state-based Indigenous housing programs include NSWALC housing (NSW), Aboriginal Housing Victoria, and Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) home loans with deposits as low as 2% for purchasing homes. The National Rental Affordability Scheme and state community housing providers offer subsidised rentals.

If you experience overcrowding, some regions have priority housing allocation for Indigenous families. These supports are complementary to Centrelink payments and don't reduce your entitlements.

Centrelink recognises that cultural and ceremonial obligations are important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. If you're on JobSeeker or a payment with mutual obligations and need to attend Sorry Business (bereavement ceremonies), Initiation ceremonies, or other cultural events, you can request a temporary exemption from your activity requirements.

Your Workforce Australia or CDP provider can grant up to 14 days exemption for Sorry Business without question, and longer exemptions with supporting evidence from a community elder or organisation. During this time, your payment continues uninterrupted and you're not penalised for missing appointments or activity targets. Similarly, ABSTUDY students can receive payment during cultural leave from studies — notify your institution and Centrelink in advance where possible.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) also administers programs for Indigenous business development, employment, and community development that complement Centrelink payments.