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The Australian Health Care Card is a card issued by the Australian Government which evidences the entitlement of the cardholder to concessions, such as the cost of some prescription medicines, medical services, and other government concessions. Eligibility for the card is determined by the eligibility (and registration) for various federal government welfare payments (see Centrelink). The benefits are clearly shown on the card. Some benefits (most notably public transport ones in some areas) are only available to recipients of certain Centrelink benefits.
The card is issued after an applicant has successfully applied for one or more of the associated payments. The card is valid for six months, after which time it is renewed if the holder continues to be in receipt of the payment for which the card was granted. This includes periods in which the holder received a "zero rate" of payment due to income reported.