More than 90,000 Pensioner Concession Cards (PCC) will be reinstated to former part-pensioners from this week.
The Turnbull Government made the decision to reinstate the card at the last budget to those who had lost access to the card as a result of reforms to the assets tests.
“The January reforms to the assets test were a crucial step in ensuring that our pension system remains sustainable and affordable for future generations,” Minister Christian Porter said.
“Those reforms increased the assets limits at the lower end, providing increased pension to people with lower levels of assets, whilst reducing the upper limits, meaning some part-pensioners with high levels of assets lost access to their part-pensions.
“As a consequence, those with higher levels of assets also lost their PCC and, as a consequence, lost access to a range of state/territory and local government and private sector benefits, such as discounted council rates or rail travel. The benefits of the card vary from state to state.
“In reinstating the PCC, the Turnbull Government is ensuring that these 90,000 former part-pensioners will be able to access those benefits again in the future.”
People who lost the card in January will automatically have one reissued and mailed out over the next two weeks.
For more information visit humanservices.gov.au
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