Best Centrelink Payment Resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Kinship Carers

If you're an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person caring for a relative's child through a kinship arrangement, you may be eligible for the same federal Centrelink payments as any other non-parent carer in Australia — Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Subsidy, Double Orphan Pension, the Foster Child Health Care Card, and more — subject to each payment's criteria. But the system's definitions of "care," "grandparent," and "principal carer" were written around nuclear family structures, and translating kinship obligations into Centrelink's evidence requirements creates friction that non-Indigenous carers don't face.

The best resource is one that explains both the payments and the evidence pathways available to carers whose family structures don't map neatly to the forms.

Where the Friction Sits

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship care is often fluid, communal, and arranged through cultural obligation rather than crisis or court order. A child might move between several family members' homes across a season, with care responsibilities shared among grandparents, aunties, uncles and older cousins in ways that reflect community practice rather than a fixed overnight schedule.

Centrelink, however, measures care in percentages. The key thresholds are 14% for CCS, 35% for FTB and Double Orphan Pension, and 65% for the ACCS Grandparent stream, subject to its other eligibility criteria. The standard method counts overnight stays over a 365-day period. When care is genuinely shared across a broader kinship network, fitting that reality into a percentage calculation requires understanding what alternative evidence Centrelink accepts.

Three specific pain points come up repeatedly:

1. The grandparent definition. The Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) — which covers 100% of actual childcare fees up to 120% of the national CCS hourly rate cap — is restricted to eligible grandparents and great-grandparents. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, kinship definitions recognise individuals in a grandparental relationship through traditional family structures or community custom. Centrelink policy acknowledges this — section 85CJ of A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the associated policy guides extend the grandparent definition to include people recognised under Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kinship systems. But proving that relationship requires evidence, and the evidence pathway is different from showing a birth certificate.

2. Care percentage evidence. When care is shared across multiple family members, documenting that one person provides 35% or 65% care can be difficult using the standard night-count method. Centrelink can assess care using hourly or daily care schedules instead of overnight stays when the standard method doesn't reflect actual care — but you need to know this option exists and request it.

3. Proof of care without statutory documents. Informal Indigenous kinship arrangements may not have the school enrolment letters or GP statements that Centrelink typically accepts as third-party evidence. In remote communities, the available evidence might include statements from community elders, Aboriginal health services, community-controlled organisations, or Aboriginal Liaison Officers. Knowing which of these Centrelink accepts — and what those statements need to say — is the practical barrier.

Resources Available

Centrelink's Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line

The adviser line at 1800 245 965 is the primary free, personalised option. Advisers can check your record, explain eligibility, and refer you to a Centrelink Social Worker for crisis and abuse support.

Good for: Personalised advice, internal referrals, checking your current entitlements.

Limited by: You need to know what to ask. If you don't know the ACCS Grandparent stream recognises Indigenous kinship definitions, you won't raise it. Phone queues can be long, and in remote areas with limited phone access, making repeated calls is impractical.

Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations

Organisations like the Aboriginal Medical Service, Aboriginal Legal Services, and community-controlled health and welfare services in your region often have staff experienced with Centrelink navigation for kinship carers. They understand the evidence that's available in community settings and can help translate kinship arrangements into the documentation Centrelink requires.

Good for: Culturally safe support, help gathering evidence that reflects your actual care arrangement, advocacy when claims are disputed.

Limited by: Availability varies enormously by region. Not all ACCOs have dedicated Centrelink navigation support. In remote communities, the nearest service may be a significant journey.

State Kinship Peak Bodies

State and territory kinship support bodies include Kinship Carers Victoria, Grandparents for Grandchildren SA, Time for Grandparents (QLD), Wanslea Grandcare (WA), Foster & Kinship Carers Tasmania, and Carers ACT. Some have specific programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers.

Good for: Peer support, advocacy, state-specific grants and programs.

Limited by: State-focused — they don't process federal Centrelink claims. Depth of Indigenous-specific support varies by organisation.

A Written Payment Navigation Guide

The Centrelink Payments for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren guide maps the core child-related federal payment options a kinship carer may qualify for, with evidence requirements for each. It covers the broadened grandparent definition that applies to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship systems, the alternative care-assessment methods when overnight stays don't reflect actual care, and the third-party evidence pathways for informal carers without court orders. It also covers Parenting Payment for carers who meet its eligibility rules.

Good for: Seeing the full payment landscape in one document, understanding which evidence each payment requires, preparing before you call the adviser line or visit a service centre.

Limited by: General rules, not personalised to your specific record. Cannot replace the culturally specific advocacy that a community-controlled organisation provides.

Comparison

Who This Is For

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander grandparents, aunties, uncles, and other kinship carers raising a relative's child and navigating Centrelink for the first time
• Indigenous carers whose family care arrangement is communal or fluid and needs to be documented in a way Centrelink's percentage-based system accepts
• Carers who want to claim the Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) and need to establish their grandparental relationship through kinship recognition rather than birth certificates
• Family members or support workers helping an elder or kinship carer prepare evidence and applications
• Carers in remote communities with limited service centre access who need to prepare everything before making the trip or the phone call

Who This Is NOT For

• Carers under a formal state child protection placement — your state department has its own payment and support structure for statutory kinship care
• Anyone needing legal advice about custody, parenting orders, or family law — contact Aboriginal Legal Services or Legal Aid
• Carers looking for state-specific grants or programs (such as WA's $1,000 Grandcarers Support Scheme for each eligible grandchild under 18 cared for informally for at least four months) — contact your state kinship peak body directly

The Practical Recommendation

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship carers, the strongest approach combines a written guide (to understand the child-related payment options and prepare evidence) with a culturally appropriate support service (to help gather the specific evidence available in your community). Read the guide first so you know which payment options may fit your circumstances and what each one requires. Then work with your local Aboriginal community-controlled organisation or the Grandparent Adviser line to assemble the evidence and lodge claims.

If you're in a remote area with limited services, the guide gives you the foundation to prepare everything independently and make your engagement with Centrelink — whether by phone, online, or in person — as efficient as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Centrelink recognise Aboriginal kinship definitions for the grandparent childcare subsidy?

Yes. The Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) extends the grandparent definition to include people recognised under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship systems as standing in a grandparental relationship to the child. This is set out in policy guidance applying section 85CJ of A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999. You may need to provide evidence of the kinship relationship — a statement from a community elder or an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation can support this.

How do I prove 65% care when the child moves between several family members?

If the standard overnight-stay count doesn't reflect your actual care arrangement, Centrelink can assess care using hourly or daily care schedules under Subdivision D of Division 1 of Part 3 of A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999. You need to request this alternative assessment and provide evidence of the daily care pattern — who prepares meals, supervises homework, makes medical decisions, and bears daily living costs. Statements from family members, community organisations, or health services can support the assessment.

Can I claim Family Tax Benefit if the child's parent is still receiving it?

Yes. Lodge your own FTB claim through myGov or at a Centrelink service centre. If the parent disputes your claim, Centrelink conducts an independent care assessment based on objective evidence — where the child sleeps, who manages daily care, who is listed as the school emergency contact. Your address and contact details are protected during this process.

What if I'm in a remote community with no Centrelink office nearby?

The Grandparent Adviser line (1800 245 965) is available by phone. If phone access is limited, some remote communities have access through Aboriginal community-controlled organisations that can facilitate calls or applications. A written guide like the Centrelink Payments for Grandparents guide can be downloaded, printed, and worked through offline, then used to prepare a single comprehensive phone call or service centre visit rather than multiple incomplete contacts.

Are state kinship care allowances separate from Centrelink payments?

Yes, completely separate. State statutory care allowances paid to formal kinship carers are non-taxable and entirely exempt from Centrelink income testing. They do not reduce Parenting Payment, Age Pension, JobSeeker, Carer Payment, or Family Tax Benefit Parts A and B. However, state allowances are generally only available to carers under a formal child protection placement — informal kinship carers typically access only the federal payments.

I'm not a grandparent — I'm an aunty caring for my niece. Can I still claim?

You can claim Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Subsidy (standard, not the grandparent stream), Double Orphan Pension, Carer Allowance, the Foster Child Health Care Card, and Medicare card transfer — all of these are available to any non-parent carer. The one payment restricted to grandparents and great-grandparents is the ACCS Grandparent stream. As a non-grandparent carer, you can still qualify for standard CCS with 100 hours of activity-test-exempt subsidised care per fortnight if you provide at least 65% ongoing care and are assessed as the principal carer; the subsidy rate depends on your household income rather than being the full 100% that ACCS Grandparent provides.

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