THIS BUDGET PROVIDES A RECORD LEVEL OF COST OF
LIVING SUPPORT FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIANS
more than $500 million
in cost of living relief
KEEPING KIDS OFF SCREENS
$76 million over four years to ensure kids can be active, healthy and connected to their communities, while easing pressure on family budgets by reducing out-of-pocket costs for school and extracurricular activities.
This investment provides free school camps for all Year 7 public school students. It also delivers one free term of before or after-school activities in public schools, alongside free ‘come and try’ sessions during school holidays through Try.Play.Belong.
The government is also expanding the $200 sports vouchers plus program to include 16 to 18-year olds, supporting an additional 18 000 young people per year. This builds on the existing program, with over 197 000 sports vouchers issued in 2025, delivering $19.6 million in direct relief.
making public school free
$174 million
over four years
This initiative provides free public education from the 2027 school year to ease cost of living pressures for parents, caregivers and independent students in government schools, saving families of non-school card students an average of more than $8 000 per child across 13 years of schooling.
DOWNSIZING STAMP DUTY CONCESSION
$77 million over five years to provide full stamp duty relief for seniors aged 60 and over who purchase a new home valued at up to $2 million. The previous home must be sold, and the new home must be smaller, supporting seniors to downsize and freeing up larger homes for growing families.
EXPANSION OF THE SOCIAL HOUSING ENERGY PERFORMANCE INITIATIVE
$36.1 million over three years to enable a further 3 500 homes to receive insulation upgrades and replace inefficient appliances, delivering energy and cost saving benefits to tenants in both public and community housing.
PUBLICLY FUNDED IVF
$18.5 million over four years for South Australia’s first IVF rebate scheme to make IVF treatment more affordable for thousands of families. The initiative will provide a rebate of $2 000 per IVF cycle for up to two cycles, and a $250 rebate for pre-IVF fertility testing for eligible applicants.
MURRAY BRIDGE METROTICKET FARES
$7.9 million over four years to expand the metroCARD zone to Murray Bridge, making bus fares cheaper for those living in Murray Bridge and travelling to Adelaide.
MORE BUSES FOR MURRAY BRIDGE, MORE OFTEN
$6.6 million over two years to improve bus services for Murray Bridge by increasing frequency to Mount Barker and Adelaide, with more weekday and weekend services and greater local town bus capacity.
The budget continues to provide meaningful savings for households. A family with two cars and two high school aged children, could save up to $2 378.
|
School fee removal (average saving of $723 per high school student) | $1 446 |
|
Sports vouchers plus program expansion (two $100 vouchers per student aged 16 to 18 from 1 January 2027) | $400 |
|
Public transport fare saving (includes savings of $242 per student as announced in the 2025-26 Budget) | $486 |
|
Fuel excise cut: state contribution only (two petrol cars, savings from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2026) | $46 |
| Total savings | $2 378 |
First home buyers could save around $107 per week in rent under the government’s Rent to Own scheme. If they buy the property, they could also receive $30 955 in stamp duty relief (based on a purchase price of $675 000) and a $15 000 First Home Owner Grant, totalling around $57 000 in savings over two years. First home buyers have received around $180 million in stamp duty relief on new homes.
South Australians aged 60 and over who purchase a smaller, newly built home or off-the-plan apartment on or after 25 March 2026, that is valued up to $2 million, could be eligible for up to $103 830 in stamp duty relief.
Renters moving between properties will now be able to transfer their existing bond to their new rental property, helping to ease cost of living pressures by removing the need to temporarily cover two bonds at once, making it more affordable and practical for renters to move.
$8.4 million
over four years
SENIORS CARD – EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY
for the expansion of the Seniors Card scheme to all South Australians aged 60 and over, and to Aboriginal South Australians aged 50 and over from 1 July 2026.
All eligible recipients will be able to access free 24/7 Adelaide Metro public transport, as well as a range of other discounts and deals, including on heating and cooling systems, home maintenance, pharmacies and more. The expansion will provide important cost of living relief and opportunities for older South Australians to stay connected and engaged with the community.
EXPANSION OF THE PATIENT ASSISTANCE TRANSPORT SCHEME
$16 million over four years to increase the nightly accommodation subsidy for eligible individuals from $44 to $110 and for those travelling with an approved support person from $88 to $154, and introduce a cumulative travel subsidy for eligible individuals travelling 300 km or more per week for renal or oncology care.
SA COMMUNITY BATTERIES
$15 million over two years to continue to construct a fleet of 16 community batteries, funded by the state and Commonwealth Government, as well as via a contribution from AGL. This initiative is expected to deliver annual bill savings of 25 per cent to approximately 10 500 low-income households through a reduction in the default market offer with AGL Australia.
INDEXATION SERVICES ADJUSTMENT FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS
$8.7 million over four years to support not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. Going forward, annual indexation for eligible NFP organisations providing services to government will align with the annual government fees and charges adjustment rate, which has regard to both wage and CPI increases.
FUEL RESPONSE
STRATEGIC DIESEL RESERVE
$40 million to secure a strategic reserve of up to 20 million litres of diesel to boost South Australia’s fuel security in the context of the current uncertainty as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. The government has reached a commercial agreement with bulk fuel supplier IOR to utilise capacity at its storage facility at Port Bonython in the Upper Spencer Gulf. The budget provides for the acquisition and sale of diesel as needed.
FUEL PRICE REPORTING SCHEME COMPLIANCE
$1.3 million over four years for more inspectors to undertake an additional 100 fuel price compliance inspections per month.
METROCARD PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARE – PAUSE
$1 million in 2026-27 to temporarily freeze metropolitan public transport fares at 2025-26 levels until at least 1 October 2026 in response to the current fuel price situation. The government will further review fare increases, considering broader economic conditions.
PARTNERING WITH THE RAA
The government has partnered with the RAA to provide consumers with real-time information on the number of service stations experiencing fuel ‘stockouts’, supported by an interactive map showing fuel availability and pricing in all outlets across the state.
FUEL EXCISE CUT
From 1 April 2026, the government funded an additional 5.7 cent per litre fuel excise cut for South Australians at a cost of $38.1 million. Combined with the Commonwealth Government’s 26.3 cent per litre fuel excise cut, this delivers a 32 cent per litre reduction until 30 June 2026.
STRONGER POWERS
The government has introduced legislation to strengthen emergency powers should the fuel crisis worsen, and to significantly increase penalties for petrol stations who fail to comply with the requirement to provide real-time fuel data.
HEAVY FREIGHT REFORMS
The government has fast-tracked a suite of heavy freight reforms that introduce 100 new network maps for trucks, providing increased operational flexibility and allowing heavier loads to be carried on more routes. The reforms are expected to deliver up to an 18 per cent reduction in fuel usage.