I welcome the announcement today by the NSW Liberal and National Parties that they will take up the Coalition Government';s offer in the 2001 Budget to extend a range of pensioner concessions to self-funded retirees who hold the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC), in partnership with the states and territories.
Since the 2001 Budget, the Commonwealth has been negotiating with the states and territories over the extension of these concessions.
The Commonwealth';s funding offer has, however, been sitting on the desk of the Premier of NSW for 16 months and still the self-funded retirees of NSW are not getting any consideration.
The concessions cover essential services, that is, council, water and sewerage rates, electricity, and motor vehicle registration. These services are every day items that form a major part of the household budgets of older Australians.
The CSHC provides access to concessional rate pharmaceuticals under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Also, from September 2001 a telephone allowance is payable to eligible CSHC holders, currently at $18.60 a quarter for a couple.
The CSHC is issued to people of Age Pension age or above (65 for men, 62 for women) who are not receiving a pension and whose adjusted taxable income is less than $50,000 (single) or $80,000 (couple, combined). These new limits were announced as part of the Commonwealth';s 2001-02 Budget and took effect from 1 July 2001.
I am pleased that NSW self-funded retirees will, on election of a Coalition Government in NSW, be able to receive additional concessions available to pensioners.