New interstate ambulance deal for NSW pensioners

The NSW Government will pay for NSW pensioners billed by the Queensland Ambulance Service for emergency ambulance transport and will seek to recover the full costs of transporting Queensland residents using NSW ambulance services from the Queensland Government.

This decision follows advice from the Queensland Government that it will not rejoin the interstate ambulance reciprocal deal, which allows pensioners to access free ambulance cover.

The new fee structure means NSW taxpayers will no longer subsidise Queensland residents for ambulance journeys in NSW.

The new fee arrangements will also apply to NSW pensioners charged for using South Australian ambulance services. South Australia is the only other state that is not a party to the reciprocal arrangement.

From now on, pensioners who receive an ambulance bill from the Queensland or South Australian Ambulance Services should send it to the NSW Ambulance Service along with their pensioner details.

NSW pensioners who have already received an invoice from the Queensland Ambulance Service since 1 July, 2006, are advised to have it paid by contacting the Ambulance Service of NSW for an exemption form.