Bali 2005 Special Assistance

What is it?

Bali 2005 Special Assistance is an Australian Government initiative for Australians who have out-of-pocket healthcare costs as a direct result of the Bali bombings which occurred on 1 October 2005. 'Out of pocket costs' means those costs which are not covered by Medicare or other government programs, or private travel or health insurance.

Australians and eligible Foreign Nationals who were physically injured by the explosions will be eligible for assistance for a wide range of health care including medical gaps, costs of medicines, physiotherapy, hearing devices, artificial limbs, psychological services and counselling.

The following people will be eligible for assistance with the costs of counselling, psychological, psychiatric services and pharmaceuticals where prescribed by a psychiatrist:

Australians who were not physically injured but were in Bali and directly exposed to the aftermath (for example, seeing injured or deceased people, or assisting in the disaster response by providing counselling etc)
Immediate family members of Australian residents who died, were physically injured, or were seriously psychologically injured as a result of the bombings
Immediate family members of non-Australians who died as a result of the bombings

Assistance will only be provided in relation to health care provided in Australia.

Queries about any assistance with costs of health care provided overseas should be made to the Centrelink Bali Bombings October 2005 Hotline by calling 180 22 99.

How to register and claim out-of-pocket expenses?

Fill out and sign a Bali 2005 Special Assistance registration form [PDF, 129Kb]
Provide either a certified photocopy of your passport showing that you were present in Bali on 1 October 2005, or a statutory declaration advising that you were in Bali on 1 October 2005
Any services received must be claimed through Medicare and/or private health insurance and/or any other insurance or compensation scheme before claiming through Bali 2005 Special Assistance
Fill out a Bali 2005 Special Assistance claim form [PDF, 133Kb]
Attach all Medicare and/or private insurance benefit statements to the claim form. Where services do not attract a Medicare benefit and are not covered by any other insurance, attach all accounts and/or receipts for a case by case assessment.

Lodging your claim

Claims can be lodged in one of the following ways:

at your local Medicare office
fax to 08 9214 8129
post to:
Medicare Australia Special Assistance
Medicare Australia
Reply Paid 9822
PERTH WA 6848

For claim forms and reply paid envelopes call the Medicare Australia Special Assistance Line on 1800 660 026 (Monday to Friday between 7.30 am and 5.00 pm Australian Western Standard Time) or visit your local Medicare office.

Payments for paid accounts can be made to the person making the claim either by cheque or by EFT deposit into a nominated financial institution account.

For unpaid accounts cheques will be made payable and sent directly to , the provider of the service.

Please note: please make sure that a Medicare claim form [PDF, 190Kb] has been submitted for all medical services before lodging a Bali 2005 Special Assistance claim form.

For more information freecall the Medicare Australia Special Assistance Line on 1800 660 026.

Registration and claim forms

Replacement Medicare cards for survivors of the Bali 2005 bombings

Australians who lost their Medicare card in the Bali 2005 bombings can still easily access their Medicare benefits.
Doctors can obtain a patient's Medicare card number by calling Medicare Australia on 132 150 while they are seeing the patient.

Replacement Medicare cards can be requested by calling Medicare on 132 011.

More information

Download a copy of the Bali 2005 Special Assistance Scheme information sheet [PDF, 292Kb] for information about what is covered, how to determine eligibility, how to apply and conditions of assistance.

Centrelink is operating a dedicated Bali Assist Hotline to provide information about the Government's other assistance packages. For more information please call 180 22 99 or visit the Bali Assist website.

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Last updated: 18 August, 2009