Aidan Curtis
COMMUNITY voices will be the key to securing dedicated cancer treatment in the Limestone Coast to make sure locals no longer have to travel to Adelaide or Warrnambool for care.
Federal Barker MP Tony Pasin held a community forum on Thursday, December 8, to discuss what needs to be done to bring cancer treatment to the region.
The forum was part of an effort to reignite calls for cancer treatment after a 2020 proposal was rejected by the then State Government.
People came from as far as Naracoorte to listen, ask questions, and share some personal experiences.
Mr Pasin said he was “shattered“ when the former State Government opted out of supporting the project, but he had been in talks with Federal Health Minister Mark Butler to see if Federal funding was still on the cards.
“The reason why this couldn’t be delivered during the previous tender process was because the former State Government failed to commit funding to this endeavour,” he said.
“[The] Federal Government has $4.5 million available and they need to recommit to it being available for radiation treatment services.”
Mr Pasin said the most important thing the Limestone Coast community could do would be to add their voices to the call and make sure the current State Government takes notice.
“We were able to convince decision makers that this community needed an MRI licence – we achieved that,” he said.
“We saw the groundswell of support around the Wulanda Rec Centre, 20,000 signatures in 20 days convinced local decision makers that this was something that needed to be delivered.
“Communities need to be very clear with decision makers what their expectations are and what they see as the priority.”
However, State Health Minister Chris Picton said in June that radiation services in Warrnambool were established to be able to cater to people from the South East and there were no plans to review that service model.
Mr Pasin said he hopes to change Mr Picton’s mind with community support.
“I hope that can be reconsidered and I’m looking forward to energising the local community to express their wish for these services to be provided,” he said.
“Chris Picton has an opportunity here to right a wrong and deliver a service that will serve this community for a very long time into the future.”
The Border Watch contacted Mr Picton for comment, but he did not respond by the time of publication.
