Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

The absolute focus of this government during this crisis has been to save lives and, then, to save livelihoods, and to make sure we can assist Australians to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. To that end, there are a number of grants that exist within the Department of Social Services that we use to deliver essential services to all Australians. In April I announced a $64 million extension for about 3,000 grant recipients to 31 March 2021; those are grants that would have possibly ceased in the coming months. This is to make sure we are able to maintain continuity of service throughout this time and to make sure we are providing services to Australians, particularly those most at risk of this pandemic. We acknowledge we have a long road ahead and we are here to make sure that we support all Australians with this great challenge. We have planned for the worst and we are working hard to make sure that that does not happen.