SMYL Goldfields and Esperance

20/08/2026
35kgs fresh bread and bakery
2 boxes fresh fruits and vegetables
2 small bouquets of flowers

Pick up from SMYL Community Services
Unit 25 Esperance Business Centre,
75-79 Dempster Street, Esperance

Please bring your own bag
Courtesy of Feed It Forward and Woolworths Esperance

National Grandparent, Foster & Kinship Carer Adviser Program
Customer contact 1800 245 965

The National Grandparent, Foster & Kinship Carer Adviser Program is a Services Australia program that supports people who are caring for children when they are not the child's parent—for example, grandparents, foster carers and other kinship carers.

The program was originally called the Grandparent Adviser Program and was renamed in July 2022 to make it clearer that support is available to all types of non-parent carers.

What does the program do?

The advisers provide personalised information, assistance and referrals to help carers understand and access government and community services.

They can help carers with:

Centrelink payments and services
Family Tax Benefit
Child Care Subsidy and other family assistance
Medicare
Child Support
Double Orphan Pension, where applicable
Concession and Health Care Cards
Understanding what financial assistance they may be eligible for
Connecting carers with social workers
Connecting with Financial Information Service Officers
Connecting with Multicultural Service Officers
Connecting with First Nations Service Officers
Referrals to relevant state, territory and community organisations.
Who is it for?

It is particularly relevant to people who have taken on the ongoing care of a child, including:

Grandparent carers
A grandparent raising a grandchild because the child's parents cannot or do not provide the day-to-day care.

Kinship carers
Relatives or people with a significant relationship with the child who take on their care.

Foster carers
People who provide formal foster care arrangements.

It can also assist other non-parent carers depending on their circumstances.

What makes the program different?

It isn't simply a general Centrelink information service. The adviser looks at the carer's individual family circumstances and helps them work out what support may be available.

For example, a grandparent who suddenly becomes responsible for a grandchild may not know:

"What payments can I receive? What happens with Medicare? Can I get help with childcare? What about Child Support from the parents?"

The adviser can help navigate these questions and, where necessary, organise appointments with specialist Services Australia staff or refer the carer to other services.

The Adviser Line

Services Australia also operates the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line: 1800 245 965. The Australian Institute of Family Studies currently lists it as supporting formal and informal carers who provide ongoing care for children.

In simple terms

The program helps grandparents, foster carers and kinship carers understand what financial assistance and support they can get, and helps them navigate the Australian service system when they are raising a child who is not their own.

Send a message to learn more

We are delighted to invite you to the SMYL Community Services Open Day in Kalgoorlie, where we will be celebrating our new premises and showcasing our modern training facilities.

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📅 Date: Tuesday, 25 August
🕘 Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
📍 Location: 48–52 Maritana Street, Kalgoorlie WA 6430
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This is a wonderful opportunity to:
• Tour our new classrooms and training facilities
• Meet our friendly team
• Learn about our FREE programs:
• SEE — Skills for Education and Employment Skills for Education and Employment and officially approved and nationally recognised vocational education and training programs listed on training.gov.au
• AMEP — Adult Migrant English Program
• Find out about eligibility and enrolment
• Discover how we can support education, employment, and English language development
• Enjoy a coffee and great conversations

Everyone is welcome — community members, stakeholders, referral agencies, and employment service providers. We also encourage agencies to bring their clients along!

For more information, please visit see.smyl.com.au or scan the QR code on our flyer.

We very much look forward to welcoming you!

13/08/2026
20kgs fresh bakery
5 boxes fresh fruits and vegetables
45 litres soft drinks - 250ml cans
Half box dry pantry

Pick up from SMYL Community Services
Unit 25 Esperance Business Centre,
75-79 Dempster Street, Esperance

Please bring your own bag
Courtesy of Feed It Forward and Woolworths Esperance

06/082026
14kgs fresh bread
5 boxes fresh fruits and vegetables

Pick up from SMYL Community Services
Unit 25 Esperance Business Centre,
75-79 Dempster Street, Esperance

Please bring your own bag
Courtesy of Feed It Forward and Woolworths Esperance

A little reminder that New Zealand (1893) and Australia (1902, at the federal level) were pioneers in women's suffrage.

It's also worth noting that South Australia granted women the right to vote in 1894, making it one of the world's leaders in women's voting rights.

However, Aboriginal women in South Australia lost that right at Federation in 1901 and did not fully regain it until 1967, highlighting that progress was not experienced equally by all women.

How to identify Census-related scams

As Census night fast approaches, Australians are being warned to look out for potential scams and report any inaccurate or suspicious information.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch told SBS News it had recently received reports of Census-related scams involving unknown parties "impersonating" the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

A woman wearing a fluorescent yellow vest hands a man an orange Census form. He wears a watch and has tattoos on his forearm.
Field staff may drop off Census forms in person but are not allowed to enter your premises. Credit: ABS
"Scammers often take advantage of major events and trusted government services to make their contact seem legitimate," a Scamwatch spokesperson said.

"Australians should take a moment to stop and check before acting."

While the ABS said it's currently unaware of any scams related to the upcoming Census, the national statistics agency has said cold calls, fake text messages, and phishing emails are among the tactics scammers have used in the past.

The ABS is also reminding Australians that it will never ask for information such as:

Bank details or credit card information
Money or donations
Passwords
Identity documents or a tax file number.
It's also stressed that people will never be offered prizes or incentives for completing the Census, which is compulsory for everyone in Australia on Tuesday 11 August.

It will also never contact people via social media or ask for personal information without their consent. However, some Australians may also receive online communications if they register for updates through myGov.

What help is available to complete the Census?
Online information about the Census is also available in 26 different languages via the ABS website. However, the questionnaire must be completed in English.

People who speak a language other than English can contact the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) which provides access to interpreters who speak more than 150 languages.

People staying in remote and regional Australia, including fly-in fly-out workers, are expected to complete the Census.

Around 30,000 ABS field staff have been employed to ensure all Australians, including people experiencing homelessness or in hospital, can access the form. In 2021, field staff travelled more than 10 million kilometres across Australia.

The Census is compulsory for all Australians, international visitors, temporary residents, migrants and refugees in the country. However, Australians who are overseas on 11 August do not complete the Census.

The ABS maintains "every response matters" during the Census and helps determine the distribution of public funds. Providing false or misleading statements or information is considered an offence and can result in a fine of up to $3,640.

2026 Census: What you need to know to ensure you’re counted | Australia Explained The 2026 Census is on Tuesday 11 August and every person in Austral...