FINANCE
Gifting money or property
With the festive season behind us, many people turn their thoughts to helping family members by giving a gift of money or property. While giving is a generous and often meaningful gesture, it’ s important to understand how these gifts can affect your eligibility or payment amount for the Age Pension.
Centrelink has specific rules about how much you can give away without impacting your pension entitlements. While you’ re free to support loved ones, exceeding these limits can result in what’ s known as a“ deprived asset”- an amount Centrelink still counts as part of your assets and possibly income for a period of five years. This can reduce the pension you receive or affect your eligibility altogether.
What are the rules? There is an exempt amount which will not affect your payment, which is;
• Up to $ 10,000 in a single financial year, and
• A maximum of $ 30,000 over any rolling five-year period,
Any amount above these thresholds may be treated as a deprived asset and assessed under both the assets and income tests. Need Support? If you’ re unsure about how gifting may affect your current or future Age Pension, we’ re here to help.
Contact our office to speak with one of our Age Pension specialists who can guide you through the rules and assist with applications.
Phone 1300 222 484 today.
Rouse Hill Medicare Urgent Care Clinic now open
North West Sydney residents now have easier access to urgent medical support with the opening of the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at Rouse Hill Town Centre.
Located at Level 1, 10 – 14 Market Lane, the clinic is open seven days a week with extended hours. The service is fully bulk billed, requires no appointment, and provides fast, free treatment for anyone with a Medicare card.
Highly trained doctors and nurses are available to treat non-life-threatening conditions such as cuts, sprains, minor injuries and common infections. The clinic is designed to take pressure off Blacktown Hospital, where nearly 29 per cent of presentations in 2023 – 24 were for semi-urgent or nonurgent issues that can now be managed locally.
Rouse Hill joins a growing network of 24 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across NSW, with another 11 on the way. Nationally, the Albanese Government aims for four out of five Australians to live within a 20-minute drive of a Medicare
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland was joined by the Health Minister, Mark Butler.
Urgent Care Clinic. Since the first clinics opened in June 2023, more than 2.2 million presentations have been recorded, including more than 446,000 in NSW. Over a quarter of these patients were children under 15, with many attending on weekends or after hours— highlighting the importance of accessible urgent care options. The Rouse Hill clinic has been commissioned by the Western Sydney Primary Health Network and is operated by Rouse Hill Town Medical & Dental Centre.
Minister Butler said“ The Rouse Hill Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is a game changer for families in North West Sydney. It will ease pressure on Blacktown Hospital and strengthen Medicare by making care more accessible and affordable.”
Attorney-General and Member for Greenway, Michelle Rowland MP, added“ I promised our community a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic – and now it’ s a reality. This is a huge win for locals and for our health system.”
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THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 127 // JANUARY 2026 11