A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding increasing the road travel subsidy for students and the patient assisted travel scheme subsidy due to rising fuel costs and the hub-and-spoke health system.

AnsweredQoN 313Legislative Assembly
Asked
17 June 2008
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

STUDENT ROAD TRAVEL SUBSIDY — PATIENT ASSISTED TRAVEL SCHEME 313. Mr M.W. TRENORDEN to the Premier: I have two blocked ears, so I ask the house to bear with me a little. Given the ever-rising cost of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas and the high impact of record high oil prices on country and regional families in Western Australia, I ask — (1) Will the Premier consider raising the road travel subsidy from its current 18.6c a litre payable for students who need to travel to a school or school bus; and, if not, why not? (2) Given the increasing need for country people to travel even greater distances under the government’s hub and spoke country health system, will the Premier consider raising the patient assisted travel scheme subsidy from its current range of 13c a kilometre to 15c a kilometre; and, if not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for the question and for some notice of the question. I am provided with the following response. (1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
STUDENT ROAD TRAVEL SUBSIDY — PATIENT ASSISTED TRAVEL SCHEME
I have two blocked ears, so I ask the house to bear with me a little. Given the ever-rising cost of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas and the high impact of record high oil prices on country and regional families in Western Australia, I ask — (1) Will the Premier consider raising the road travel subsidy from its current 18.6c a litre payable for students who need to travel to a school or school bus; and, if not, why not? (2) Given the increasing need for country people to travel even greater distances under the government’s hub and spoke country health system, will the Premier consider raising the patient assisted travel scheme subsidy from its current range of 13c a kilometre to 15c a kilometre; and, if not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for some notice of the question. I am provided with the following response. (1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
(1) Will the Premier consider raising the road travel subsidy from its current 18.6c a litre payable for students who need to travel to a school or school bus; and, if not, why not? (2) Given the increasing need for country people to travel even greater distances under the government’s hub and spoke country health system, will the Premier consider raising the patient assisted travel scheme subsidy from its current range of 13c a kilometre to 15c a kilometre; and, if not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for some notice of the question. I am provided with the following response. (1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
(2) Given the increasing need for country people to travel even greater distances under the government’s hub and spoke country health system, will the Premier consider raising the patient assisted travel scheme subsidy from its current range of 13c a kilometre to 15c a kilometre; and, if not, why not? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for some notice of the question. I am provided with the following response. (1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for the question and for some notice of the question. I am provided with the following response. (1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
I thank the member for the question and for some notice of the question. I am provided with the following response. (1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
(1) The purpose of the road travel subsidy is to help offset the costs incurred by parents who convey eligible students to their nearest appropriate school, education facility or regular bus service. To ensure the subsidy is up to date, it is indexed annually against the consumer price index for Perth transport. The subsidy is currently undergoing its annual review. This review will be concluded shortly and implemented by 21 July, being the first day of the third school term. (2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.
(2) I am advised by the Department of Health that the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council has been asked to examine the recommendations of the Senate committee’s 2007 report titled “Highway to health: better access for rural, regional and remote patients”, which investigated the operation and effectiveness of the patient assisted travel scheme across all states and territories. The Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council is establishing a task force for this very purpose that will review the recommendations, propose an approach and provide an interim report to the AHMAC in six months. Through this process Western Australia will put forward its position on issues such as any proposed change to the level of assistance.

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