Katter’s Australian Party MP and Member for Hill, Shane Knuth, has slammed the Queensland Government’s Budget changes to the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS), describing the 11cent travel allowance increase as a “pittance” that completely fails to address the crippling costs faced by regional Queenslanders forced to travel for medical treatment.
Mr Knuth said the Government had once again ignored repeated warnings the PTSS is no longer fit for purpose, leaving rural and regional patients thousands of dollars out of pocket when accessing specialist medical care in centres such as Townsville, Cairns and Brisbane.
“The fuel rate has crawled from 30 cents a kilometre in 2013 to now 45 cents in 13 years, while fuel, accommodation and travel costs have exploded over that same period.”
“To make it worse, the accommodation subsidy has not been increased. In fact, after 13 years, the accommodation subsidy has increased from $60 to $70 a night. Thirteen years and ten lousy dollars. That’s an insult.
By contrast, the South Australian Government recently lifted their nightly accommodation subsidy rate to $110 a night,” Mr Knuth said.
Mr Knuth said the Government’s refusal to properly fund the PTSS was forcing many families to make impossible heartbreaking choices during the worst cost-of-living crisis in generations.
“Regional Queenslanders are being denied the right to lifesaving medical treatment to cover the cost of luxuries such as the Olympics.
“People in Brisbane can access specialist services down the road, whereas those living in regional and remote area have no choice but to travel hundreds of kilometres.
“When you can’t afford the fuel, accommodation and meals, medical treatment gets delayed, appointments are missed and families suffer.
Mr Knuth said the PTSS was a pittance when he first raised it over 20 years ago and it remains a pittance today.
“Consecutive Governments have dismally failed regional Queenslanders on this issue.”
Mr Knuth highlighted the growing pressure on charities such as Ronald McDonald House, which are increasingly forced to fill the gap left by Government inaction.
Mr Knuth also pointed to the Leukaemia Foundation Chief Executive Officer Chris Tanti who today rightly stated that increasing the fuel subsidy is a start, but you can’t drive 600 kilometres for life-saving chemotherapy and then sleep in your car because you can’t afford a bed.
Mr Knuth said access to specialist medical treatment was a basic right, not a luxury.
“I am again calling on the Government to immediately review the PTSS, increase the accommodation subsidy from $70 to $140 per night, double the travel allowance, simplify the scheme and index future allowance payments to yearly CPI.
“Regional Queenslanders should not be treated as second-class citizens simply because of where they live.”