Patient Assistance Transport Scheme

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister confirm that the fuel subsidy for the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS) will now increase annually in line with CPI? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr BELL: Two weeks ago, I put forward a private members' motion calling for an increase in the accommodation allowance for the PAT Scheme and for all subsidies to be tied to CPI. The motion was amended by the member for Elizabeth and passed this house with the following change:

(c) commends the Malinauskas Labor government for doubling the fuel subsidy and committing to annual indexation.

Can the minister please confirm that the fuel subsidy will now increase annually in line with CPI?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:05): Thank you very much to the member for his question. As he well notes, the government in our first 12 months in office doubled the fuel subsidy from 16¢ per kilometre to 32¢ per kilometre and made it, from my understanding, the most generous fuel subsidy in the nation.

In relation to the member's question, I will certainly seek further advice, but my understanding is that it is now our intention to make it an indexation in line with the standard indexation through the government that takes into account both CPI and also other variables that Treasury has a formula for. That was not previously the case. So there was no indexation that applied to this and there will now be indexation that will be applied in the future. I will double-check that and I am happy to correct that if I am incorrect. I think that will help to make sure that this keeps pace with increasing costs into the future.