Paper fuel relief applications face up to ten-week wait in WA

Western Australia’s $100 fuel relief scheme is experiencing a significant delay for applicants who use paper forms, with the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure advising a nine- to ten-week processing period after posting. The delay contrasts with the Service WA app, which approves claims in one to two days, and affects roughly 40,000-50,000 paper submissions out of 2.3 million eligible drivers. Since the program’s launch on July 1, more than one million drivers have applied and $110 million has been paid, while $198 million was allocated for the entire scheme.

Ten full-time staff are processing about 3,000 mailed applications each day, and extra personnel have been deployed to work weekends and overtime. Treasurer Rita Saffioti noted that 96 % of applications are digital, and opposition transport spokesman Steve Martin criticized the government’s handling of the paper backlog.