Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 551

❓ Mrs. Warr questions the Cook Government on the fulfillment of their election promise to expand the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) to include allied health and dental, while also requesting data on scheme uptake and reimbursements.

AnsweredQoN 551Legislative Assembly

Asked

9 September 2025

Member

Mrs Kirrilee Warr

Portfolio

Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to an election commitment made by WA Labor ahead of the 2025 State election relating to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS), and I ask : (a) Has allied health been included as part of PATS as promised in the election; (b) Has dental been included as part of PATS as promised in the election; (c) For each of the above, if not, why not, and what is the timeline for delivery; (d) How many patients have taken up the scheme since the start of this term of Government; (e) How many of those patients are from either Geraldton or the Mid West; and (f) From those figures, how much has been reimbursed through the scheme?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

15 October 2025

Responded by

Minister for Health

Response time

7 days

(a) –(c) The Cook Government committed to boost the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) by $34 million, and is delivering the largest-ever expansion to the PATS, helping more regional Western Australians to access the medical care they need. The PATS fuel subsidy increased from 26 cents to 40 cents per kilometre, a 54 per cent boost through an $18.5 million investment in the 2025-26 State Budget. The Cook Government remains committed to delivering on its election commitment and planning is underway to expand eligible services.
(d) 23,855 people have accessed PATS subsidies between 19 March 2025 and 10 September 2025.
(e) 4,168 of these people are from the Midwest region.
(f) $5.49 million has been provided in subsidies to residents of the Midwest region from 1 March 2025 to 10 September 2025.

View on Parliament of WA