Barbara Best chuckles as she checks her banking phone app to see if her bonus $250 has arrived.
"A cash bonus always helps," she muses.
"But it'll get absorbed pretty quickly."
Barbara is one of about 6 million Australians receiving the one-off payment this week, as part of a package of cost-of-living relief measures announced in the March budget.
The payments started trickling into bank accounts on Wednesday.
Anyone who receives a government benefit will receive the funds automatically, including people on the age pension, disability support pension, youth allowance and parenting and jobseeker payments.
While cash bonuses are always welcome, recipients have mixed views about the wisdom of the payment, and the impact it will have on voting choices at the May 21 federal poll.
'Not enough to sway votes'
Barbara Best and her husband are self-funded retirees living in Broome.
The 69-year-old is eligible to receive the payment as she holds a Commonwealth Seniors Card.
"I think quite a few seniors are doing it tough, especially with the ridiculous insurance costs up here, and things like fuel and electricity," she says.
But she doubts the $250 will be enough to relieve the financial stress for many recipients, or distract from the lack of more substantial investment in the aged care sector.
"To put it into perspective, it's going to cost $800 to fly to visit my youngest daughter who's having a baby, and it's costing $4,000 to replace my husband's hearing aide.
"I think investment in aged care and the NDIS is more of a talking point between people our age, because we are getting to that stage when you think, 'What if I had a fall, or a stroke, what would happen to us?'"
Biggest jump in living costs in two decades
The payments are part of what Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described as "temporary, targeted and responsible" measures aimed at addressing spiralling daily costs.
Australia is experiencing its biggest increase in consumer prices in more than 20 years.
The latest data from the Bureau of Statistics shows living costs increased 5.1 per cent over the past year, with non-discretionary costs — such as food, fuel, and healthcare — spiking to 6.6 per cent.
It is forecast the one-off welfare bonus will total about $1.5 billion.
'Like a drop in the ocean'
Len Altman and his wife had the payments pop into their account on Wednesday.
They live in the South Australian town of Yorketown, and will spend the money on fuel to travel the 250 kilometres to Adelaide for a bulk grocery shop.
"Things in the country cost more because of the freight and fuel, so we'll try to a bulk shop in the city to stock up," Mr Altman says.
The couple own their own home and say they have reduced car travel and food purchases during what Mr Altman describes as the "slow erosion" of disposable income.
The retired geophysicist says he would prefer to have seen the $1.5 billion invested in improving aged care and addressing climate change.
"I personally think it's the wrong direction," he says.
"I'm not an economist, but my understanding is it'll be inflationary when people go out and spend this money, when we've already got a heated economy."
The payments are expected to be distributed in full by the end of April.
