Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients

As part of a trial running until 30 June 2026, some changes have been made to improve affordable ambulance access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Under the trial, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders who are WA residents are in some cases entitled to State subsidised ambulance services. The subsidy is as follows:

• People aged 50 and above who hold a valid Pension Concession Entitlement are fully subsidised and there is no charge for emergency ambulance services anywhere in Western Australia, or for non-emergency patient transfers outside of the Perth metropolitan area*.
• People aged 50 and over who do not hold a valid Pension Concession Entitlement are partially subsidised and will only pay 50 per cent of the fee for emergency ambulance services, or for non-emergency patient transfers outside of the Perth metropolitan area*.
• All people, regardless of age or pension status, will receive free emergency ambulance transport where the request has been placed by an ACCHS clinic who will assess if ambulance transport is medically necessary. This includes road transports to/from hospitals and airports for the purposes of regional to Perth RFDS flights.

* For non-emergency patient transfers within the Perth metropolitan area, the age for concession is unchanged and is only for those people aged 55 and over. The concession is a 50% reduction regardless of pension status. Once you turn 65, these services become free if you hold a valid Pension Concession Entitlement, or receive a 50% discount if you do not hold a valid Pension Concession Entitlement.