About Concessions

The Victorian State Government has an action plan to reduce disadvantage and share our State’s prosperity with more Victorians by building stronger and more inclusive communities.  The Concession unit develops and implements programs to address the challenges faced by low income Victorians and ensure access to essential services remains affordable.

Our concessions programs are designed to complement those offered by the Commonwealth Government of Australia which is responsible for ensuring that individuals and families have an adequate level of income. The Commonwealth Department of Family, Community Services and Indigenous Affiars, through Centrelink, and the Commonwealth Department for Veterans’ Affairs, provide eligible people with pensions, benefits and allowances.  The Commonwealth Government provides concession cards to people receiving a Commonwealth pension, benefits and allowance or to people entitled to Commonwealth concessions.

The Commonwealth Government provides a range of additional support services such as reduced pharmaceutical prescriptions, hearing aids and the telephone allowance.

State and Territory Governments assist low income people by providing concessions on essential services, taxes and other charges. The Victorian Government provides an extensive range of concessions to low income people who have limited capacity to pay for key services, these are provided and administered by State and Local Governments.

The Victorian Government is ever improving the sustainable management of water recourses, climate change, bushfires, public land, forests and ecosystems. In line with this objective Concessions programs are being developed to reduce costs for low income Victorians by implementing projects which encourage sustainable usage of resources.