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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-28 Daily Xml
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Red Cross Transport Service

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Human Services. Could the minister please explain to the house what new arrangements have been developed for the old voluntary Red Cross car/driver services across South Australia?

The Hon. N.F. COOK (Hurtle Vale—Minister for Human Services, Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well) (14:34): I presume the member is talking about the Community Passenger Network, now known as the community transport network of South Australia. There have been some changes made through new commissioning practices following a big fulsome review of that service. People would be aware that the service, which started in the nineties—so it has been going for about 30 years now—has changed significantly in terms of its demand and who requires use of that network.

Based on the evolution of the NDIS, differences in support for disability, consumers in the public and also aged care, this network is for people under the age of 65. There is a focus now on reducing social isolation, as well as providing other avenues for transport throughout South Australia. It does disproportionately benefit—and we are pleased that it does—people in regional areas.

There were some changes with some of the boundaries to align better with other boundaries across service provision, and that has affected the member for MacKillop's area. There were also some changes to providers within that. The provider of the services in the member for MacKillop's area now has gone to the Tailem Bend Community Centre, which is a much-loved and much-respected service provider based in Tailem Bend, but they have a very wide reach in terms of the good things that they do provide. They have taken the role that the Australian Red Cross was providing. That was their decision to change their capability for service delivery, being the Red Cross, and now Tailem Bend are transitioning to that.

DHS has been working closely with the provider, since the beginning of the year, to transition the areas and the service providers to make sure that people's needs are being met out in the community. There is some information about the transition plans that I can provide. They have been monitored closely by DHS and the great team working there, to make sure that the arrangements were as smooth as they possibly could be for transition to the new provider model on 1 September.

We wanted to make sure that there was a timely establishment of services and that there weren't any gaps, and there were solutions available for times when they needed to use alternatives to their volunteers and their cars. So I think there has been a piece of work that has been ongoing, and I know the member has been reaching out to me and to the community centre and I hope is in receipt of a letter that I sent in the last week in regard to this.

For other members who represent areas across South Australia that rely on the community transport services, there were minimal changes in other areas. So it's really great that we've got a trusted provider continuing in most of the other areas but, because of capability and the desire to not do that particular service, there was a change in the member for MacKillop's area. But where there has been a change there was comprehensive communication, and we are continuing to work with those providers.

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