Seniors Card

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Human Services. Can the minister explain what the government is doing to encourage more businesses to participate in the Seniors Card directory? Mr Speaker, with your leave and the leave of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: The Seniors Card directory is around 130 pages. Four of those pages are dedicated to discounts that are available in the Limestone Coast and the majority of those are in Mount Gambier. We have a cost-of-living crisis. My constituents of MacKillop say there is not enough money in the directory for them.

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services, Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well) (14:18): Thank you to the member for the question. He is very connected to his community. I will take every opportunity to promote businesses getting involved in the program, while encouraging all 415,000 Seniors Card members to actually use it whenever they can. The member for MacKillop has asked several questions in relation to this program and heavily promotes it in his own community, so this is a fine example for others to follow.

The website shows, regarding the Seniors Card, that there are 598 offers which provide great opportunities to save money and be more active in their local communities, and the member noted the four pages out of the 130 that are dedicated to businesses in the Limestone Coast. It is true that there are many more offers in metropolitan and Greater Adelaide and that's partly to do with population, of course. The last census showed that 73 per cent of people aged over 60 live in Greater Adelaide compared to the percentages of 2½ per cent living in MacKillop and around 2 per cent who live in Mount Gambier.

It's important to note that many offers are in the directories, which are statewide, for things like pharmacy memberships, insurance, utility bill monitoring, online retail, professional services and also a 50 per cent discount on Stateliner bus services in the regions. All Seniors Card members, whether locals or visiting from the regions, can access the 24-hour free public transport whenever they are in the Greater Adelaide region, and we know that that has saved around $20 million so far and counting.

These broader offers may not be on the pages dedicated to the Limestone Coast, but they are available to all Seniors Card members wherever they live. I encourage people to check online for latest offers and find ones that may not be down the street. We are working to expand the program all the time and, if local businesses ask MPs about getting involved, please refer them to the Seniors Card website. It has some very easy-to-follow steps so that they can engage. The Seniors Card team did deliver a promotional campaign for the 30^th anniversary of this program in the last 12 months, and 55 new offerings have been made available on the program.

Everyone in this chamber can help the program by knowing their community and promoting their businesses in the local area and the offers of their businesses to their constituents. MacKillop has an older than average constituency than other areas with 12,000 people aged over 60 at the last census, being 32 per cent of residents. This is against a state average of 26 per cent.

It's not about highlighting how many Seniors Card members live locally. You need good reasons ready in case businesses have concerns. They may ask why they should get less from existing customers in a regional area, and the answer is a combination of things. It can unlock a new customer who lives in the area; it can get people passing through to stop, stay and spend; it's an easy way to engage with new people moving to the area; and it's a chance to help people who might be struggling but are often too proud to admit they are feeling the pinch.

It has been rightly pointed out that there are difficulties at the moment with cost of living, and we have put, as a government even last year, $115 million additionally into the budget. Supports across energy bill relief, concessions, investments in social housing, help for families and schoolchildren, and more, really are now getting close to $1 billion. So I think we can all join together and send a message to our community that there are great benefits in being involved in the Seniors Card, whether you are a senior or whether you are a business.