Page 170 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 12 February 2020
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We know there are things that we can learn from other jurisdictions. We are doing that and putting those lessons into practice.
MRS DUNNE: Noting that the minister has not answered the question why is it so bad, minister, why is it that our target in the ACT is 70 per cent of peak patients to be seen on time, which is close to the national average, but over the 19 years of a Labor government, we have moved further and further away from the national average and further and further away from that target?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I refer Mrs Dunne to my previous answers.
Government—support for seniors
MR GUPTA: My question is to the Minister for Seniors and Veterans. Can the minister please outline how the government is supporting Canberra seniors with the cost of living?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Gupta for the important question. The ACT government has a suite of measures to ensure that we are looking after the most vulnerable in our community, including seniors on fixed incomes such as the pension.
The government’s concessions program targets those Canberrans who need a helping hand. We provide a range of concessions and schemes across government to help with the everyday cost of living. We have invested in the pensioner duty concession scheme to make it easier to move to housing that is better suited to seniors’ needs as their needs in life change. We have also invested in the life support rebate; we have expanded the seniors card eligibility; we provide free and discounted public transport; we subsidise spectacles for some senior Canberrans; and we provide rebates on utilities.
We have also rebuilt the assistance.act.gov.au website to make it easier to use and more intuitive for people of all ages, including our seniors, to find information on all of the concessions and rebates that they may be eligible for. This is in addition to the more generalised supports like our recent additions to help provide cheaper fuel prices to all Canberrans, including our seniors.
This government is committed to providing cost of living support to Canberrans in a targeted and meaningful way. We do this because we value our seniors and the contribution that they make to this wonderful city.
MR GUPTA: Minister, can you outline how changes to the seniors card which were recently announced will assist older Canberrans?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Gupta for the question and I am delighted to be able to explain this more fully. I was pleased to announce late last year that we would be changing the age of eligibility for the seniors card. As of 1 July this year the age that you will be able to start qualifying for the card will be 60.
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