Patient Assisted Travel Schemes

Question

1. Can the Department provide an update on the current status of Patient Assisted Travel Schemes (PATS) or equivalent patient transport assistance programs across all states and territories? Specifically, what data does the Commonwealth hold on eligibility criteria, reimbursement rates for private vehicles, public transport, commercial air travel, and accommodation subsidies in each jurisdiction? 2. What analysis has the Department undertaken on the equity outcomes of these state-run schemes for Australians living in regional, rural, and remote areas? For example, how do approval rates, out-of-pocket costs, and access to specialist care compare between metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients in each state and territory? 3. Is the Department aware of significant recent changes to these schemes? In particular, can officials outline the Victorian Government's recent updates to the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS), effective from 1 April 2026, including refreshed criteria for commercial air travel reimbursement and any additional requirements such as specialist confirmation forms? 4. Recent changes to the Victorian scheme make it very difficult for people living in the rural town of Mildura and surrounding north-west Victoria - six hours drive from Melbourne - to access reimbursement for commercial air travel to seek specialist treatment. This is likely to result in increased acute hospital presentations and the use of costly air retrieval services. Is the Department aware of the implications of this recent change? What modelling or advice has the Government/Department received about the likely impact on patient access? 5. Schedule F of the National Health Reform Agreement Addendum 2026-2031 focuses on better health equity for rural and remote communities. Does the Government see a specific role for Schedule F in driving improvements to state and territory patient transport schemes to ensure genuine equity of access to specialised care? 6. What specific actions or accountability measures is the Commonwealth pursuing under Schedule F (or related schedules) to address inadequate patient transport support, if any? 7. If state changes like those in Victoria undermine access for regional patients and risk higher overall system costs through increased emergency presentations, what mechanisms does the Commonwealth have - or need - to intervene or incentivise better performance under the NHRA framework? 8. Will the Minister or Department commit to reviewing the interaction between Commonwealth funding contributions and state patient transport schemes with a view to ensuring that regional Australians are not disadvantaged by postcode? If not, why not?

Answer

Please see attached answer.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• DHDA SQ26-002785.pdf (opens in a new tab)