Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor says one-off Energy Assistance Payments to eligible recipients will help thousands of constituents with the cost of living.

“The Turnbull Government is working hard to secure reliability in our energy supply and to ensure power prices are affordable for everyone,” he said.

“One of those measures is our one-off Energy Assistance Payment which will help those on qualifying payments, including the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment Single, and a range of veteran’s payments.”

The payment of $75 for singles and $125 for couples will be automatically paid to eligible people before the end of the 2016-17 financial year.

This will assist more than 19,300 people in the electorate of Hume on the Age Pension, 5505 people on the Disability Support Pension and a further 1834 people who receive the Parenting Payment Single.

At least several hundred veterans will also be eligible (235,000 nationally).

The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Energy Assistance Payment and Pensioner Concession Cards) Bill 2017 was introduced to Parliament on Wednesday (24 May 2017).

Mr Taylor said the same Bill would reinstate the Pensioner Concession Card to at least 554 former part-pension recipients in Hume who lost the card at the start of this year as consequence of reforms to the assets test.

For more details about the one-off Energy Assistance Payment eligibility requirements visit https://www.humanservices.gov.au/corporate/budget/budget-2017-18/disability-and-carers/energy-assistance-payment