❓ Ms. Davies questions the Minister for Health on potential increases to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) subsidies to support regional families facing rising fuel costs. The Minister avoids a direct answer, instead attacking the opposition's record on regional support.
AnsweredQoN 201Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PATIENT ASSISTED TRAVEL
SCHEME — SUBSIDIES
201. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
From the minister's answer, can I take it that there will be no
increase to support regional families who are required to travel more than 100 kilometres
to specialist medical care and to combat the impact that rising fuel prices
will have on family budgets?
SCHEME — SUBSIDIES
201. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
From the minister's answer, can I take it that there will be no
increase to support regional families who are required to travel more than 100 kilometres
to specialist medical care and to combat the impact that rising fuel prices
will have on family budgets?
AnswerView source ↗
That is not what I said. I said that
the Leader of the Opposition is a hypocrite to stand in this place and claim
that somehow the Labor Party in government
has not done more to support regional communities than the Nationals ever did in eight and a half years and billions
of dollars in pork-barrelling. That is what happened. The former government built centres that councils could not afford
to run; it built infrastructure with no ongoing capital works. This government has increased the patient assisted travel scheme and has supported regional
residents to access PATS. We are providing hundreds of thousands of free rapid
antigen tests to people in regional communities, which the opposition has
complained about. We are providing healthcare services so that people can stay
in their regional communities. We are increasing investment in telehealth. This
is the party that provides regional health care. Labor is the party that
provides regional health care. We have made record capital investments. All you
did was brand the form with royalties for regions.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Members, that concludes question time.
the Leader of the Opposition is a hypocrite to stand in this place and claim
that somehow the Labor Party in government
has not done more to support regional communities than the Nationals ever did in eight and a half years and billions
of dollars in pork-barrelling. That is what happened. The former government built centres that councils could not afford
to run; it built infrastructure with no ongoing capital works. This government has increased the patient assisted travel scheme and has supported regional
residents to access PATS. We are providing hundreds of thousands of free rapid
antigen tests to people in regional communities, which the opposition has
complained about. We are providing healthcare services so that people can stay
in their regional communities. We are increasing investment in telehealth. This
is the party that provides regional health care. Labor is the party that
provides regional health care. We have made record capital investments. All you
did was brand the form with royalties for regions.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Members, that concludes question time.
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