Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (09:49): Who would have thought the Allan government would sink so low as to now steal money from aged pensioners heavily reliant on the Victorian patient transport assistance scheme? I have had a steady stream of calls and visits to my office from people who have been receiving this vital support for more than 20 years, who are being told it is gone because they live 1 kilometre or less shorter than the necessary 100 k’s. I have a constituent going to Bendigo. They attend St John of God and they qualify for support, but if they attend a hospital or specialist service on the north side of the city, they get nothing. It is ridiculous and shameful. One Tongala resident cannot even get the payment for attending St John of God because VPTAS has calculated it is only 99 kilometres from her home as the crow flies – but as her car travels, it is 104.7 k’s. To Bendigo Health it is 102.4 k’s, but again VPTAS insists its straight-line measurement is all that matters. After more than 20 years of making this trip, has Bendigo suddenly shifted south or has Tongala drifted north? Or is it just another Allan government tax by stealth and damn the consequences? Kerang hospital is not renewing its contract with Bendigo Radiology, which means patients there will increasingly be diverted to Echuca, which is technically 96.4 kilometres away, depending on where your home is. I already have had contact from people who are saying VPTAS is refusing them money as well. The Allan government makes Scrooge look generous.