Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Northern Victoria Region

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:47): (1604) My question is to the Minister for Health on behalf of rural Victorians who rely on the Victorian patient transport assistance scheme and who need to travel long distances to access life-saving medical care, such as at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. A constituent from Strathfieldsaye submitted a claim on 4 April. He contacted VPTAS, and his correspondence states that:

VPTAS … could not tell me after 7 weeks if they had received my claim, could not say when I would be advised, could not say when any reimbursement may be forthcoming …

and that it could take weeks or months. This is not an isolated case. Their website used to promise processing times within six to eight weeks, yet many rural patients are waiting for longer, with no communication. Looking at their website just before, I noticed it has been updated. It now states:

We are currently experiencing longer than normal processing times. We apologise for any inconvenience.

This issue is not about red tape, but I ask the minister: what immediate steps will you take to restore timely, respectful service to those who depend on this scheme?