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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-07 Daily Xml
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TAXI VOUCHERS

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:17): My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, what is the budget saving to the government of the withdrawal of taxi voucher allocations to renal dialysis patients, and how many patients are affected?

Members interjecting:

Dr McFETRIDGE: They ooh and aah over there—this is a very serious issue.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure) (14:17): Again, I stress that the person who Mr McFetridge, the member for Morphett—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Are you done there?

An honourable member: More than one.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: There is more than one, is there? Do you count them the same way you count interconnectors or the way you count wharves?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: There are a range of options available in our health service for those who need dialysis. The person in question, and others, simply need to talk to their clinical provider. The options do include paying for taxi fares. They include in some circumstances actually moving dialysis machines closer to where the person is. There are a range of options. There is no budget.

I assure the member for Morphett that this year's health budget, like the one before and like every health budget we have had since coming to government, has more money than it did before. If they want to compare our health budget with ones of the previous government, you will see an absolutely dramatic—and I think the Treasurer could help me with this—increase in funding for health. We fund health seriously, we take it seriously. Everyone knows, when it comes to health and public health, there is one party committed to it, and that is the Labor Party of Australia—always has been, always will be. Again, I stress that there are a range of services available. I am happy for—

Dr McFetridge interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: You can ask another question in a moment, member for Morphett. The issue that has been raised with me—and we will provide more information—is not the case of a cut to this person, but is a case, as I understand it, of the person themselves wanting to change earlier arrangements. She can do that, and all she needs to do is talk to her clinical provider about those services.

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