Thousands of Canberra citizens will become eligible for seniors discounts from July next year, with the ACT government announcing it will lower the age of eligibility from 62 to 60.
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Some 8500 people are set to benefit now the government has scrapped earlier budget plans to raise the age people can access the seniors card to 65 by 2025.
The changes bring the ACT into line with every other Australian jurisdiction, meaning a senior citizen in Canberra will be the same age as recognised senior citizens in NSW and the rest of the Australian states and territory.
From July, Canberra residents can apply for the card from their 60th birthday as long as they are a permanent resident of the ACT and are not doing more than 20 hours paid work per week.
The card gives the holder access to a 10 per cent discount on car registration, boosted to 28 per cent for electric car registration, as well as a range of discounts across private businesses including in health and recreation.
Those holding the senior citizens card can also access free off-peak travel between 9am and 4.30pm weekdays and all day Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays, with concession fares applied outside those times.
Free travel on public transport all the time does not kick in until the card holder reaches the age of 70.
The cost to the government's bottom line will be just shy of a million dollars at $900,000, an ACT government spokesman said.
There are 8500 Canberra citizens aged between 60 and 61.
It was only in July this year that the government raised the age from 60 to 62.
The change back to 60 comes into effect from July 2020.
ACT Minister for Seniors and Veterans Gordon Ramsay said that older Canberrans play a substantial role in the ACT community, and that allowing more older Canberrans to access concessions would benefit both them and the community more broadly.
"Our community of older Canberrans has the highest rates of volunteering and caring nationally and are the healthiest and most educated in the country," Mr Ramsay said in a statement.
"They bring significant resources through their years of experience to the social, community and economic life of our city.
"As our city continues to grow it's important that we ensure that older Canberrans remain engaged in our community and that they have access to the appropriate services at a reasonable cost."
Mr Ramsay also addressed cost of living pressures facing older Canberrans, which he said the seniors card helps ease. He added that more importantly, the scheme encouraged social inclusion.
