❓ Ms. Quirk raises concerns about the proposed outsourcing of Seniors Card administration, focusing on data privacy, accessibility for non-digital seniors, and probity checks for participating businesses. The Minister's response addresses these concerns, highlighting existing concessions and a commitment to exploring printed materials and business checks.
AnsweredQoN 148Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SENIORS CARD ADMINISTRATION — PRIVATE
CONTRACTOR
148. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for
Seniors and Volunteering:
I refer to the proposal, disclosed
in tender documents, to farm out to a private contractor the provision of the
administration of the Seniors Card, which is currently issued to 375 000 WA
seniors.
(1) Under this
proposal, what oversight mechanisms are incorporated to ensure that there is no
improper use of the personal details of seniors?
(2) Why is there
no requirement to provide to cardholders information in a printed booklet form,
thereby excluding many seniors?
(3) What probity
checks are envisaged for the additional businesses signed up to the scheme?
CONTRACTOR
148. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for
Seniors and Volunteering:
I refer to the proposal, disclosed
in tender documents, to farm out to a private contractor the provision of the
administration of the Seniors Card, which is currently issued to 375 000 WA
seniors.
(1) Under this
proposal, what oversight mechanisms are incorporated to ensure that there is no
improper use of the personal details of seniors?
(2) Why is there
no requirement to provide to cardholders information in a printed booklet form,
thereby excluding many seniors?
(3) What probity
checks are envisaged for the additional businesses signed up to the scheme?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and acknowledge the great work that seniors do in our community and the
government's support of 375 000 Seniors Card holders in Western Australia.
(1)–(3) We
have had a lot of debates in this house around the concessions—more
than 16 concessions throughout the state—to support seniors in our
community. As the member pointed out, currently a discount booklet is printed
every two years. As members could well imagine, that begins to go out of date
from the day it is printed. Of course, a business that wants to get into the
booklet has to wait for two years. One of the key issues around the Seniors
Card in Western Australia is the confusion around what someone gets as a WA
Seniors Card holder versus what a person gets as a Commonwealth Seniors Health
Card holder. As the Minister for Finance announced this afternoon, with the
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card or Pensioner Concession Card, pensioners will
get up to a $750 discount on shire rates, compared with $284 with the WA
Seniors Card. But to answer the member's questions, no information will
be shared with any third party to do with anything the Seniors Card holder
holds. With regard to the booklet in printed form, yes, we will work with the
operator to see whether we can put a printed version out there, but I am very
confident that a lot of my seniors are now a lot more tech savvy. I think the
modern way is with smart phones and tablets and so forth, compared with the
earlier First Click pathway, but that is something I will take on board and I will
work with them to try to find a way to do that. More importantly, with regard
to checks on business, we already do that with the ones that are in the
booklet, but we are still trying to work out how we can do that. The main point
here is that we have gone out for expressions of interest from third parties to
look at ways we can actually promote seniors in Western Australia and give them
a raft of discounts that are available online today, and also bring it more in
line with the twenty-first century.
and acknowledge the great work that seniors do in our community and the
government's support of 375 000 Seniors Card holders in Western Australia.
(1)–(3) We
have had a lot of debates in this house around the concessions—more
than 16 concessions throughout the state—to support seniors in our
community. As the member pointed out, currently a discount booklet is printed
every two years. As members could well imagine, that begins to go out of date
from the day it is printed. Of course, a business that wants to get into the
booklet has to wait for two years. One of the key issues around the Seniors
Card in Western Australia is the confusion around what someone gets as a WA
Seniors Card holder versus what a person gets as a Commonwealth Seniors Health
Card holder. As the Minister for Finance announced this afternoon, with the
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card or Pensioner Concession Card, pensioners will
get up to a $750 discount on shire rates, compared with $284 with the WA
Seniors Card. But to answer the member's questions, no information will
be shared with any third party to do with anything the Seniors Card holder
holds. With regard to the booklet in printed form, yes, we will work with the
operator to see whether we can put a printed version out there, but I am very
confident that a lot of my seniors are now a lot more tech savvy. I think the
modern way is with smart phones and tablets and so forth, compared with the
earlier First Click pathway, but that is something I will take on board and I will
work with them to try to find a way to do that. More importantly, with regard
to checks on business, we already do that with the ones that are in the
booklet, but we are still trying to work out how we can do that. The main point
here is that we have gone out for expressions of interest from third parties to
look at ways we can actually promote seniors in Western Australia and give them
a raft of discounts that are available online today, and also bring it more in
line with the twenty-first century.
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