Millions of Australians to get one off cash payments from Centrelink

Australian pensioners will secure a one-off cash bonus of $250 as part of the government’s plan to ease cost of living pressures.

The $250 payment will also be provided to other low income families that rely on income support, however parents on family payments will not receive the cash boost.

Daily Mail Australia understands the payment has been set at a modest $250 to ensure it does not put pressure on inflation.

The payment is officially set to be announced by Scott Morrison on Budget day, which has been set for March 29th. 

Last Wednesday, Mr Morrison hinted that he was leaning towards one-off payments rather than any permanent reforms.

‘We said we would be targeted in the supports that we provided, that they would have a start date and they’d have a stop date, that there’d be a pathway in and there’d be a pathway out,’ he said.

‘We must be targeted in the things that we do, so we don’t add to those inflationary pressures.’ 

Mr Morrison is under pressure to reduce the fuel tax of 44.2c-a-litre but has refused to reveal if he will do this.  

He has also kept quiet on whether he will extend the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (LMITO), an end-of-financial-year rebate of up to $1,080 for those earning under $126,000.

The offset was due to end when stage two tax cuts came into play but Mr Morrison kept it in place for an extra two years as a form of Covid stimulus.

In the budget due on March 29, the government is expected to offer ‘temporary and targeted support’ for lower and middle income earners struggling with price rises but the exact nature of this is unclear.

Mr Morrison is expected to call an election for mid May shortly after the Budget.

There will some relief to welfare recipients in March 20 when the Jobseeker rate, age pension, disability support pension, and carer payments are all set to rise by up to $20 per fortnight.

But Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the increase is too meagre to offset price hikes for essentials such as petrol and food.

‘At the moment, families are under massive pressure. Everything is going up,’ he said.