Tuesday, 18 March 2025

 Danny O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (12:58): Public service should be more than just a name for a group of people, but under the Allan Labor government it is increasingly the case that the service element is missing from our public service. The latest government service that is letting down the public is the Victorian patient transport assistance scheme, known as VPTAS. This scheme helps rural Victorians cover the costs of their travel when they have to go long distances, usually to Melbourne, for medical treatment. The VPTAS website states that claims will be processed in six to eight weeks, but recent experience is far beyond that. I have been contacted by many constituents recently, and I know my regional colleagues are getting the same calls, about extremely long wait times for the processing of VPTAS claims. One message I received yesterday was from a pensioner couple who have unpaid claims going back to October last year – six months. They wrote:

VPTAS do not answer calls. You are instructed to leave a message. They do not reply. I have written to them. They do not respond.

This is one of many sectors where the government has just stopped serving the community, and it is not good enough. The government must explain what it is doing to address these VPTAS delays.