Page 3235 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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I have also announced that on 1 November 2011 I will hold a community roundtable to hear from non-government agencies funded by the ACT government about further need that they are seeing in the community. I am particularly interested to hear about those families who sit just above the concessions regime who might just earn that little bit more that reduces their entitlement to concession card status but also in seeing what we can do to meet some of the pressures that they are experiencing in a targeted and measured way.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Porter, a supplementary question.
MS PORTER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can the Chief Minister please advise the Assembly what other concessions currently exist for members of the ACT community?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Ms Porter for the supplementary. There are 30 different ACT government concessions administered by six directorates across six concession zones. Eligibility for concession is usually based on the possession of a commonwealth concession card. This is a verifiable and well-established way of managing eligibility for concessions and is used across jurisdictions in Australia. Concessions are primarily provided to ACT residents who hold a pensioner concession card or healthcare card or who are holders of a veterans gold card issued by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Recipients of the pensioner concession card or healthcare card have to receive other commonwealth cards for which the eligibility criteria usually relate to income, health or age. Eligibility for a number of health concessions is through referral by a medical practitioner.
Concessions are provided across six zones of education, essential services, government service, health, housing and transport. I do not think I have time to go through all 30 but they are available through the concessions portal or if members are interested I can provide them with a summary sheet.
There are concessions obviously for the secondary bursary scheme, which assists low income families with the cost of high school education, and special needs transport, which transports eligible students with a disability to their nearest special needs setting.
Essential services concessions include energy, water, sewerage and funeral assistance. The combined energy and utility concession now totals $346, approximately a quarter of the annual average electricity bill.
Government service concessions include discount rates for government venues and swimming pool admission, dog registration and library fines. There are over 10 different health concessions, including the $1,200 home haemodialysis rebate, which was introduced in the last financial year, and the spectacle and senior spectacle schemes, which improve the affordability of glasses for the financially disadvantaged and senior citizens.
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