Seniors will pay more to visit Tasmania’s national parks under changes that scrap their dedicated discount and merge them into standard concession rates.
The state government is axing the 50% seniors discount and replacing it with the 20% concession available to other cardholders.
Brigid Wilkinson, CEO of the Council on the Ageing Tasmania, said the organisation had little notice of the decision, which is expected to save the government around $800,000 a year.
“We literally got a day or two’s forewarning and we haven’t really seen the full modelling for this,” she told Local Radio.
Greens parks spokesperson Tabatha Badger said the change represented a “discriminatory step toward making public land exclusive to those who can afford it”.
She said a senior making annual trips to popular spots like Russell Falls and Cradle Mountain would now pay $95 for an annual pass and bus ticket – up from $40 two years ago.
The reduction marks a departure from a 2018 election commitment that lifted seniors’ concessions from 20% to 50%.
Wilkinson questioned whether the modest savings justified breaking the promise. “That is not going to fix a state budget,” she said.
Constitutional constraints prevented the government from limiting the discount to Tasmanian seniors only, meaning all Australian seniors card holders visiting the state’s parks will be affected.
The changes come alongside other recent fee increases.
Walking fees for the Overland Track rose from $200 to $285 in 2023, while Three Capes Track fees jumped from $495 to $595.
Badger criticised the government for failing to look elsewhere for revenue and instead targeting recreational costs.
“For a government in a budget crisis that chose not to raise any royalties on big mining or salmon business, raising recreational costs for everyone is a bit rich,” she said.
Parks and Wildlife says 67% of seniors passes sold in 2023–24 went to non-Tasmanian seniors.
An annual parks pass will now cost all concession cardholders $81.40, while a two-year pass will cost $103.95.
