Kangaroo Island residents who travel to the mainland for specialised medical treatment will now be able to access up to $200 in subsidised ferry travel as part of the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS).
For the first time, this means that all people on the island can receive a rebate – even if they live within the 100km radius of Victor Harbor.
The rule change fixes a discrepancy which meant people living on the eastern end of the island often couldn’t receive a subsidy from the Scheme when receiving treatment in Victor Harbor, while people on the western end of the island were eligible for rebates.
This is the second major expansion of the Scheme this year, with the fuel subsidy doubling on 1 January, 2023 from 16 cents to 32 cents per kilometre.