About companion card

If you have a disability and a lifelong need for 'attendant care support' in order to participate in community activities and attend venues, the Companion Card can help you with the costs of getting out and about with the support of a companion.

Companion Card holders receive a second ‘companion' ticket at no charge at participating venues and on public transport. The 'companion' ticket is also exempt from booking fees.

The Companion Card is issued in the name of the person who has a disability, and is valid for 5 years.

A companion is any person who accompanies a cardholder and provides attendant care support. The cardholder’s chosen companion may be a paid or unpaid assistant or carer, family member, friend or partner.

Attendant care support

Attendant care support means significant assistance with mobility, communication, self-care or learning, where the use of aids, equipment or alternative strategies does not enable a person to carry out these tasks independently.

Attendant care support does not include the companion providing only social company, reassurance or encouragement.

Eligibility

The Companion Card is not income or asset tested.

To be eligible for the card, you must:

• be a lawful Australian resident, living in Queensland
• have a disability
• because of the impact of the disability, be unable to participate at most community venues or activities without attendant care support
• need, or be likely to need, lifelong attendant care support.

Who is not eligible?

• Companions and organisations—it is the person who has the disability, rather than their companion, who must apply for the card.
• A person whose need for attendant care support is not lifelong, or likely to be lifelong (i.e. if a person is likely to become independent in the future as result of treatment, rehabilitation, management, training, recovery or developmental improvement).
• A child, when the need for attendant care support is reasonable at their age rather than specifically because of the disability.

Examples of situations where a person may not be eligible include when a person is:

• experiencing a temporary disability
• relying on a  companion for social support and encouragement only
• being affected by the inaccessibility of a venue.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The NDIS is a separate scheme to the Companion Card program. Separate eligibility criteria and application processes apply.

People who receive funded supports, payments or pensions such as an NDIS package may also apply for a Companion Card. Being eligible for the NDIS does not guarantee eligibility for a Companion Card and an application must be completed to determine eligibility.