The ServiceWA app has surged to number nine on the iTunes Australia charts, just two days after it was revealed users could claim a $100 fuel handout via the platform as part of a surprise State Budget sweetener.
Minister Reacts to Download Spike
On Saturday, Housing Minister John Carey said he was “actually not surprised” by the spike in downloads. “I think it does demonstrate that people do value the cost of living measures that we’re introducing,” he said. “It’s been really sad and disappointing to see Basil Zempilas and the Liberals mock it, but the proof is in the pudding, and what is very clear is that people do want to access this important cost of living relief, whether it is the $100 for fuel or whether it is the student supplements that families will receive.”
Carey highlighted the substantial relief available: “A family of four, of two parents, two kids could receive more than $2100 in cost of living relief, that is substantial relief to any family. So I think this does demonstrate that West Australians do want to access this relief, so I’m actually not surprised that people are accessing this app so quickly.”
Details of the Payment
The money — to be paid directly into bank accounts through the Government’s ServiceWA app — can be spent on anything, not just fuel, and will become available from July 1 to about two million West Australians. Motorists are being urged to use the ServiceWA app as the “fastest and most convenient” way to access the payment.
More than two million people are eligible for the payment, though only about 500,000 had downloaded the app on the day the Budget was handed down. Mr Carey said he would not be claiming the relief for his own personal use. “I won’t be taking it personally. I do know some people are opting to take the money and then make a donation to a particular cause… but I personally probably won’t take it,” he said.
Additional Assistance and Access
The ServiceWA app has also been used by the Government to distribute the Student Assistance Payment, which provides $250 for high school students and $150 for each primary school child. Anyone yet to use the app will need to download it and create an account using a Digital ID through the Federal Government’s myID app. The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure says alternative arrangements will also be available for people who cannot, or do not wish to, use the app.
