The Nationals WA are calling on the Cook Labor Government to urgently increase fuel subsidies for regional Western Australians through the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) and the Regional Pensioner Travel Card, as the State’s fuel crisis continues to escalate.
Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love MLA, said families, patients and pensioners are being forced to absorb soaring fuel costs, with current support measures falling well short of what is needed.
“We are calling for a temporary but immediate increase to PATS, from 40 cents to $1 per kilometre, and a boost to the Country Age Pension Fuel Card from $775 to $1000,” Mr Love said.
“The current PATS fuel subsidy is completely out of step with the real cost of travel and is leaving some of our most vulnerable Western Australians significantly out of pocket just to access essential medical care.”
“No one undergoing medical treatment should also be worrying about whether they can afford the fuel to get there. Right now, that is the reality for too many people in regional WA.”
Mr Love said pensioners across regional communities were also being disproportionately impacted.
“For many older Western Australians, the Regional Pensioner Travel Card is not a luxury, it is a lifeline, but it has not kept pace with the cost of living or the reality of fuel prices in the regions,” he said.
“Temporarily increasing the card to $1000 is a modest, practical step that would provide immediate relief and restore some fairness.”
The Nationals WA would support these changes being implemented for a defined period, subject to regular review, and maintained for as long as the crisis continues.
Mr Love said the divide between metropolitan and regional cost-of-living support continues to widen.
“In the city, there are public transport options and fare caps. In regional Western Australia, there is no alternative, people have to drive,” he said.
“Fuel costs substantially more, distances are longer, and the impact is far greater, yet this Government continues to ignore that reality.”
“The fuel crisis is not easing, it is intensifying, and the Cook Labor Government cannot keep pretending otherwise.”