Mrs BRAHAM - 2005-08-17
My question is relevant, particularly as we have so many seniors in our gallery. The government has given seniors an interstate air fare entitlement, and they can either travel themselves or they can use it to bring a friend to the Northern Territory. Could you explain why you refused to have that fare applicable intrastate - why people in Darwin cannot bring a family friend up from Alice Springs, or vice versa? Why do you not allow some flexibility in this fare so that these seniors can use it in the Northern Territory, not just interstate?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, our government’s position and the changes that we made to the Pensioner Concession Scheme makes ours one of the most generous anywhere in Australia, which allows people to bring family members, either from interstate or overseas, to visit them.
Although I am minister for seniors, and I reported on that this morning, administration of the Pensioner Concession Scheme falls under the Minister for Family and Community Services.
Mrs Braham: This is a policy matter.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: It is a policy matter and it has been one that we have discussed. When we looked at some of the figures and the take-up rates, that was not proved to be viable at this stage. However, what was looked at was that there were a lot of requests from senior Territorians and people accessing the Pensioner Concession Scheme to allow them to bring family members from interstate or overseas to visit them. That was one part. Certainly we, as government, made that decision and changed that policy to allow seniors to do that.
The second part of that policy was to abolish the waiting period of six months. Therefore, as soon as you are eligible to access the Pensioner Concession Scheme, the six-month waiting period is abolished. That scheme is a generous scheme. As I said, the uptake rate of intra-Territory travel was not as high, and there was not a need to do that. There were a lot of requests to be a bit more flexible, abolish the waiting period, and to allow them to bring family and friends here.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, our government’s position and the changes that we made to the Pensioner Concession Scheme makes ours one of the most generous anywhere in Australia, which allows people to bring family members, either from interstate or overseas, to visit them.
Although I am minister for seniors, and I reported on that this morning, administration of the Pensioner Concession Scheme falls under the Minister for Family and Community Services.
Mrs Braham: This is a policy matter.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: It is a policy matter and it has been one that we have discussed. When we looked at some of the figures and the take-up rates, that was not proved to be viable at this stage. However, what was looked at was that there were a lot of requests from senior Territorians and people accessing the Pensioner Concession Scheme to allow them to bring family members from interstate or overseas to visit them. That was one part. Certainly we, as government, made that decision and changed that policy to allow seniors to do that.
The second part of that policy was to abolish the waiting period of six months. Therefore, as soon as you are eligible to access the Pensioner Concession Scheme, the six-month waiting period is abolished. That scheme is a generous scheme. As I said, the uptake rate of intra-Territory travel was not as high, and there was not a need to do that. There were a lot of requests to be a bit more flexible, abolish the waiting period, and to allow them to bring family and friends here.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016