Victoria’s base carer allowance for level 1 (age group 0-7) is the lowest of any state/territory in the country by a significant margin. (See Table 1)
Victoria’s first age payment range is widest of any jurisdiction (0-7). This means that Victorian carers have to wait until a child turns 8 before they get an age-related payment increase.
A Victorian carer gets substantially less per fortnight to care for a 7-year-old child compared to carers in other states. The amount a Victorian carer is behind other states and territories, to support the care of children of 7 years of age:
ACT—$261
NSW—$201
Queensland—$224
Western Australia—$112
South Australia—$94
Tasmania—$81
Table 1: fortnightly base rates of each state/territory for first age range
State/territory | Amount | Age range |
|---|---|---|
ACT | $620 | 0-4 |
NSW | $564 | 0-4 |
Queensland | $611 | 0-5 |
South Australia | $487.20 | 0-4 |
Tasmania | $451 | 0-4 |
Western Australia | $455 (incl. clothing allowance) | 0-6 |
Victoria | $435 | 0-7 |
The amount the Victorian carer allowance falls behind other states continues as age-based increments occur.
Table 2: fortnightly base rate of each state for second age range
State/territory | Amount | Age range |
|---|---|---|
ACT | $696 | 5-14 |
NSW | $636 | 5-13 |
Queensland | $659 | 6-10 |
Western Australia | $547 (incl. clothing allowance) | 7-12 |
South Australia | $529.20 | 5-12 |
Tasmania | $516 | 5-11 |
Victoria | $450 | 8-10 |
All payment amounts for all states in the tables above are fortnightly.
Most states index payments for inflation/cost of living on 1 July of each financial year except for Queensland which indexes payments on 1 January each year.
Three states (NSW, Queensland, Tasmania) have a three-tiered payment structure based on the needs of the child or complexity of the placement.
NSW offers the simplest and most comprehensible payment structure with 3 levels of payments according to complexity and payments for ages which are roughly aligned to educational stages (eg 0-4 pre-school, 5-13 primary school, 14-15 (middle school) and 16-17 (senior high school).
Some states have payments for remoteness which are not included in fortnightly payment calculations. Fortnightly payments may include clothing and other allowances depending on the state and the payment structure.
State Care Allowance Payment Documents
NSW
https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/download?file=327879
South Australia
https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/documents/fact-sheet/carer-payment-rates-loading.pdf
Queensland
Victoria
https://services.dffh.vic.gov.au/support-carers
ACT
Western Australia
https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2023-07/fostering_financial_support_info.pdf
