Publications/Applications
Welcome to the WA Companion Card
What is an Affiliate?
Affiliates are organisations, events or venues that officially register to participate in the Companion Card program.
In summary, affiliates agree to;
- Issue a Companion Ticket, at no charge, to cardholders who require attendant care support from a companion to participate at their venue/event;
- Display the Companion Card logo in a prominent position and/or in promotional material, where possible; and
- Abide by the Companion Card Affiliate Terms and Conditions outlined in the Organisation and Business Affiliates Handbook .
It is important to remember that the disability anti-discrimination legislation applies to your organisation or business regardless of whether or not you are a registered affiliate of the Companion Card program.
Already, many organisations and businesses have agreed to affiliate. The Companion Card would like to thank these Affiliates.
Why affiliate?
The Companion Card has been developed as a tool to assist the business and community sectors to comply with existing disability anti-discrimination legislation.
The Companion Card is not a discount scheme, concession or benefit. Some of the benefits of affiliation are;
- Affiliation will present a positive public image for your organisation or business.
- You will be meeting your social responsibility by incorporating the human rights of people with a disability into your ticketing policies and practices.
- You will have access to an additional, untapped target market.
- The Companion Card, if adopted by a venue/event, provides evidence that the organisation or business has taken some steps to remove discriminatory policies or practices.
- Becoming an affiliate is an easy way to help you prevent some complaints of discrimination being lodged against you with the Equal Opportunity Commission.
Who should affiliate?
The disability anti-discrimination legislation, applies to all organisations and businesses regardless of their size, or the type of service provided. If you charge an admission or participation fee for your service, you should consider becoming an affiliate.
Western Australian-based industries, including those with national operations or outlets, are eligible to become affiliates. The Companion Card program has been developed with an initial focus on recreation, leisure, social and cultural venues and events, but is open to participation by other industries.
Removing or reducing discrimination is a shared responsibility for which more than one party may be liable. It may, therefore, be beneficial for organisations to affiliate with the Companion Card even if they are not directly involved in issuing tickets or monitoring admissions, for example; venue owners or funding bodies.
The Companion Card is available in Victoria and Western Australia. Other states may need to consider how they will comply with relevant legislation.
Becoming an affiliate
Organisations that choose to affiliate with the Companion Card program are required to read the Organisation and Business Affiliates Handbook and complete an Organisation and Business Affiliation Form.
The Affiliation Form provides a space for organisations and businesses to describe the range of services provided and/or to list specific venues/activities. It is recommended that any high profile services or venues that are part of your organisation or business are specifically listed so that they can be recorded on the Companion Card affiliate database.
When you officially register with the Companion Card, you will be sent a range of promotional and support materials. The security features of the card will also be disclosed to affiliate organisations.
If you have any questions about participating in the Companion Card program, email your query to wa@companioncard.asn.au. The Companion Card support team will contact you to discuss your queries. Alternatively, you can telephone the Companion Card Information Line on 1800 617 337.
Card Security
The Companion Card has been designed with a range of security features that can be used by affiliate organisations to check the validity of Companion Cards.
Full details of the various security features of the Companion Card will be provided to organisations when they affiliate. These can be used to verify cardholder information when taking telephone bookings and distributing tickets. Organisations can choose if, or how, they wish to incorporate the card's security features into ticketing policies and practices.
The card itself incorporates the same polymer technology that is used to produce Australia's "plastic" banknotes. This makes the Companion Card virtually impossible to accurately reproduce. The Companion Card program is the first in Australia to utilise this technology to provide advanced forgery protection for a card that is intended for public circulation.
The Companion Card boasts a rigorous application and audit process, which ensures that the card reaches its intended audience.
If an organisation suspects misuse of the Companion Card, they should lodge a complaint directly with the Companion Card program, which can investigate the report.
Promotional and Support materials
When you submit your Organisation and Business Affiliation Form, you will be sent a range of promotional materials, such as Companion Card logos, posters, point of sale stickers and brochures. Where possible, these should be displayed in a prominent position at ticketing outlets or business premises and/or on promotional materials.
If you require additional materials at a later stage, you can place an order by telephoning the Companion Card Information Line on 1800 617 337.
You can also link to this web site to provide information about the program to your customers.
What to do if I see a Companion Card?
If a Companion Card is presented at your organisation, it is because the cardholder is a person who, due to their disability, requires attendant care type support from a companion in order to participate at your venue or event.
Legislation requires that you do not discriminate against people with a disability because of their need for attendant care support from a companion. By charging two admission fees to the cardholder, you may be accused of discriminatory ticketing practices.
Recognising the Companion Card and providing a second ticket for the cardholder's companion, at no charge, is one way to comply with part of the existing anti-discrimination legislation. You may also like to consider becoming an Affiliate.
The Companion Card® is supported through the State Government of Western Australia through the Disability Services Commission. The Companion Card® is a registered trademark owned by the State of Victoria. © Copyright State of Victoria.