Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Hansard source

As I have indicated to the member, these measures about the tax-free threshold are of course the Treasurer's responsibility. I am responsible for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, which is quite clear. We have two separate matters, one in relation to families. There is a measure in the budget that goes to families with incomes between $6,000 and $18,200. We are going to require that families in that income range notify the Family Assistance Office of their income at the end of each financial year. They can do that online, over the phone or in person, and the Family Assistance Office will then check that people are eligible for the assistance that they are claiming.

The Department of Human Services will be funded for any increased customer contact required for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card claims and for those claimants who do not any longer have a tax file number because they do not have to lodge a tax return. So there certainly will be a few people who are affected in this way, but we expect the numbers to be quite small.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop interjecting—

Yes, I will.

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