More than 490,000 Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders will receive financial relief to support them with the rising costs of energy bills.
All Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders will be eligible for energy bill relief, and will receive up to $500 per household.
Since November, when the Albanese Labor Government introduced higher income thresholds for eligibility for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, an additional 16,230 Australians have been granted access to the card who would not otherwise have been eligible.
This energy bill relief for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders and other eligible Australians is just one part of the Albanese Labor Government’s targeted and responsible Energy Price Relief Plan which sets out to combat increases to energy prices across the country.
The Plan will consist of the Government taking action to limit the price of gas and coal used for electricity generation, focus on investment into cleaner, cheaper and reliable energy for the future, and provide much needed energy bill relief for Australian households and businesses.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said from July 2023, this relief will help older Australians navigate increases to the cost of living.
“We are delivering on our commitments to do what we can as a Government to ease cost of living pressures and help older Australians keep more money in their pockets,” Minister Rishworth said.
“More older Australians and veterans than ever before are saving on healthcare costs since we delivered on our election commitment to increase the income limits for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card last year.”
On 4 November 2022, the income limits were increased to $90,000 for singles and $144,000 for couples (combined). This was the largest increase in more than 20 years.
Initial projections were that an additional 52,000 older Australians would benefit by 2026-27.
“It’s great that in six months of the new income threshold limits being in place so many older Australians have received access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card,” Minister Rishworth said.
“Our hope is this take-up trajectory continues and more older Australians continue to take advantage of these increased income limits in the years to come.”
For more information on the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card or to apply online, visit the Services Australia website.
For more information on the Energy Bill Relief Fund, visit the Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water’s website.