99.7 BridgeFM is your community station.
If there’s one thing the local community is worried about right now, it’s the cost of living. Our great sponsor, Salmon Plumbing has prepared a big guide to a range of cost-of-living hacks, grants and help available to you and the community.
Have you got a great tip for reducing the cost of living? Tell us about it and we’ll add it to the list!
City of Moreton Bay Community Organisations
Get help with groceries, health and community support services.
https://www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/Queensland/Moreton_Bay
Electricity Discounts and Grants
The Queensland Government has now rolled out the $1000 rebate on electricity supply and an additional Energy Bill Relief Fund extension is underway. You do not need to take any action, it will be automatically credited to your account. Additional grants include:
Electricity and Gas Rebates
Eligible Queenslanders can receive further discounts on electricity and gas supply but must contact their supplier to claim them. Learn more here.
Appliance Discounts and Rebates
The very limited Queensland Government Energy Savers Rebate is currently closed, however, may reopen at any time. The scheme “sells out” fast, so keep an eye out for news of a new round of funding. It includes cash back for energy-efficient air-conditioners, fridges, washers, dryers, dishwashers, and hot water systems.
Peak Smart Air Conditioning
Select energy providers are offering a discount or cash rebate for installing or upgrading a Peak Smart certified air conditioner device. These allow the energy company to reduce the air conditioner’s performance during peak periods when the grid is under strain. Learn more here.
Small Scale Technology Certificates
The federal government’s “credit” system for installing solar or heat pump hot water systems means that the Moreton Bay or Brisbane plumbers fitting your system can apply directly for your rebate on your behalf and remove it from the total cost of the bill. The level of rebate reduces over time, so the sooner you buy a new water heater, the bigger the government contribution. Learn more here.
In addition to the rebates and credits you get for upgrading to more energy-efficient appliances, the ongoing cost reduction of upgrading your water heating to a heat pump or solar hot water system alone can be more than 70%. Learn more here.
Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme/Hardship Program
For concession card holders who experience a substantial decrease in their regular income (due to family separation or loss of employment), you may be eligible for a $720 emergency payment to cover your energy costs. Learn more here.
Council Rates Discounts
Pensioners, self-funded retirees, and veterans are eligible for up to $200 in state government rates subsidies. City of Moreton Bay offers up to 50% additional discount to pensioners.
School Costs
Transport
The School Transport Assistance Scheme is a grant to help kids get to school. Eligible applicants include kids who live some distance from their school, kids with disabilities, and kids with families experiencing financial hardship. Learn more here.
Kids Sport
The FairPlay Voucher scheme offers a $200 voucher per child aged 5-17 to help alleviate the cost of school sports.
Textbooks
The Queensland Government Textbook and Resource Scheme subsidises resource fees for two children. This rebate is paid directly to the school so you should discuss discounted resources directly with your school.
Free NBN
Eligible families get two years of free NBN access under the School Student Broadband Initiative.
Free TAFE
There are currently 70 fee-free TAFE courses available in high-demand industries. They offer pathways to university courses and increased earning potential. Enrol here.
Australian Sport Championship
The Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12–18 participating in state, national or international championships. Successful applicants will receive up to $750 towards the cost of attending their nominated championships. For more information, please visit the Sport Australia website.
Seniors Discounts
The Queensland Seniors Card grants you discounts on transport, vehicle and boat registration, and other government services. Your discount card may also be honoured at your local shops – from an IGA to a KFC to pool maintenance. Find all locations here.
Senior Shopper Service
Making a big purchase decision? Seniors Card holders can contact the Senior Shopper Service with the product they’re looking for, and the Senior Shopping Service will call around and find you the best deal. Senior Shopper partners with retailers and the government to secure discounts on groceries, utilities, insurance and even wine! Submit your search here.
Cost of Living Relief for People with Disabilities or Chronic Illness
Discounted electricity, free glasses, communication aids, and even specialist fire alarms are all covered by various state government grants for eligible applicants. Learn more here.
Companion Card Discounts
For carers, your Companion Card gets you free or discount entry into entertainment and sporting venues, from going to the movies to the theatre, the gym or even bowling. See the list here.
Veteran Services
In addition to the plethora of discounts offered to those who hold a Veterans Card (everything from discounted bills to dental work), Moreton Bay City also offers:
Duty First Legal at Redcliffe is a free or substantially discounted law firm that aids veterans in all legal matters.
Telecommunications
Telstra Top Up Program
Telstra offers free top-ups for six months to those facing financial hardship. Originally a service for people leaving family violence, the scheme now offers a $160 one-off top-up plus 70 GB of data to use over a six-month period. Learn more here.
Free Mobile Phones
If you’re one of the 200,000 Australians still using the 3G network, you may be eligible for a free mobile phone or $400 phone shop voucher to aid users in making the transition to upgraded networks as the 3G network shuts down. Learn more here.
Bank Fees and Interest
It sounds too easy to be true, but if you call your bank and ask them to reduce your interest rate, they may just say yes. By default, your mortgage or other loan may not be set at their lowest rate, simply asking for a lower rate can result in a sizable reduction in repayment rates. Your bank may also offer assistance in cases of crisis, hardship, domestic violence, or dramatic changes in circumstances.
Pet Discounts
Pensioners, veterans, and concession card holders receive a discount on animal registrations and other services. Apply Here.
The National Desexing Network provides cheap animal desexing and has six participating vet practices in the City of Moreton Bay. Find Your Nearest Vet Here.
Got a hot tip for finding discounts and cost of living relief in Moreton City?
Listener Tip: Joanne from Brighton
As an RACQ member, I pre-purchase Woolies and Big W gift cards at a discount rate. Woolies is 4% off and Big W 5%. Doing this, I save a minimum 4% off my grocery shop each week. They can also be used at Ampol fuel and Woolies-associated Liquor stores. There are lots of other retailers where you can save between 3 and 8% on your shopping, plus loads of discounts at entertainment venues and services too. Might not sound much, but it saves me over $300 per year on my small household, so bigger households will save more.
Listener Tip: Paula from Nudgee
I use apps. Lots of apps. From cheap petrol apps to micro investing where your “change” goes into a tiny account that buys shares, to Shop Back apps where any big purchases I make online earn cashback. Last time I booked travel online I got $570 back by booking through a Shopback app.
Listener Tip: Amy from Mango Hill
I started using my union’s discount book and it’s full of really good, cheap deals. Same with RACQ and the one through schools. I never really paid much attention to these before but if you take a close look, there’s some really cheap stuff in there. Half-price meals, massive discounts on stuff for kids, cheap movie tickets – it’s amazing how quickly it adds up, and I always had access, I just never used it.
