Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (13:04): (2585) My question is for the Minister for Health. As the largest electorate in the state, Northern Victoria is home to many families who need to travel significant distances to access specialist cancer treatment. The Leukaemia Foundation this week released its national scorecard, which exposed major gaps in the travel assistance on offer to people in my electorate, who are forced to travel long distances to access life-saving treatment, often for extended periods of time. Victoria ranked last on the national scoreboard, receiving just 41.3 out of 100 based on how well our travel scheme covers the cost of accommodation and private vehicle travel. My office has been impacted by leukaemia and knows firsthand the brutality of cancer treatment. For people in my electorate, they have the added stress of having to travel to access this specialist care. Will the minister support the Leukaemia Foundation’s Cut the Cost of Cancer campaign and provide better financial support for northern Victorians impacted by cancer?