A re-elected Labor Government has pledged to dramatically ease the financial pressure on regional South Australians who need to travel long distances for specialist healthcare, with a $16 million expansion of the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme set to deliver the most generous accommodation subsidy in the nation.
Premier Peter Malinauskas says the changes are designed to help people stay focused on their health, not the mounting costs of travel and time away from home. Under the commitment, the nightly accommodation subsidy will almost triple from $44 to $110, rising to $154 when patients travel with an authorised support person.
The expansion is expected to help tens of thousands of people each year. More than 20,000 South Australians accessed PATS support last financial year, and the new settings broaden who qualifies and how often support applies. Fuel subsidies will now extend to people travelling multiple times a week for oncology and renal care, recognising the reality of repeated appointments rather than single long trips.
Importantly, the funding also unlocks a major partnership with Cancer Council SA, paving the way for a new $60 million accommodation facility with up to 50 beds in Adelaide’s northern suburbs. The lodge is expected to support an additional 2,500 patients and their families every year, including those receiving treatment at Lyell McEwin Hospital.
PATS currently assists patients who must travel more than 100 kilometres each way for specialist services not available locally. The reforms go further by recognising cumulative travel. Patients receiving oncology or renal treatment who live between 50 and 100 kilometres from care will now qualify when their weekly travel exceeds 300 kilometres. For many country families, that change reflects lived experience rather than distance on a map.
One example cited is a patient travelling from Melrose to Port Augusta three times a week for dialysis. At 66 kilometres each way, those trips add up to more than 20,000 kilometres a year, translating to close to $7,000 in support under the new rules.
“We want to help ease the burden for regional South Australians who have to travel long distances for specialist healthcare,” the Premier said, noting the Government has already doubled the fuel subsidy since 2023 and is now extending help even further. “That’s why we are committing to introduce the most generous accommodation subsidy in the nation.”
Cancer Council SA chief executive Kerry Rowlands welcomed the announcement, saying the changes reflect years of advocacy from accommodation providers and community organisations. She said reducing the cost and stress of travel would help people access care earlier, stay on treatment and focus on recovery, adding that improved access will save lives.
The PATS expansion sits alongside a broader push to strengthen regional health services. Since 2022, the Malinauskas Government has invested $400 million in regional health capital works, including hospital upgrades, new ambulance stations, expanded operating budgets for local health networks and hundreds of additional clinical staff across country South Australia.
