Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Lifting the Income Limit for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Bill 2022

The majority voted in favour of amendments (4) and (9) on sheet 1643, which was introduced by West Australian Senator Dean Smith (Liberal), which means they will now form part of the bill.

The amendments related to the commencement of the provisions related to pensioner concession cards and the inclusion of an extended qualification for pensioner concession cards.

Amendment text

Due to their length, see sheet 1643 for the text of amendments (4) and (9).

What does this bill do?

According to the bills digest, the key points are that:

• The Bill aims to increase the income limits for eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
• The measure was a Coalition election commitment subsequently matched by Labor.
• The changes will primarily benefit high-income and/or asset-rich retirees. Around 44,000 newly eligible CSHC holders are expected to benefit in the first year, rising to an addition 52,000 by 2026-27.
• The changes are expected to cost $69.4m over the forward estimates.