The money’s still there: Tony Pasin calls on state government to support new radiation centre for Mount Gambier

Renewed calls have been made for a Mount Gambier radiation centre, after residents were informed that federal money is there to fund it.

Mount Gambier locals have turned out in force to try to revive plans for radiation therapy service, as the local MP insists the money is there to fund it.
Member for Barker Tony Pasin hosted the forum, inviting guest speaker Australian and New Zealand ICON Cancer Centre chief executive Paul Fenton to explain why Mount Gambier missed out in the first place.

In April of 2019, former Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced $63.4m for 13 sites in need of new radiation therapy services, including Mount Gambier.

The ICON Group, which operates the cancer treatment centre in Warrnambool, put forward a tender in August 2020.

Tony Pasin and Australian and New Zealand ICON Cancer Centre Chief, Executive Paul Fenton hold community forum to bring radiation treatment to, Mount Gambier. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Mr Fenton said the ICON Group tender would require roughly $3m annually from the state government to support its “operating expense”.

Without state government funding the service would not have been sustainable on a bulk bill model – with a gap payment passed onto patients.

Mr Pasin said the federal government was not prepared to provide funding without state government support, particularly as the ICON Group radiation services in both Adelaide and Warrnambool do not have a gap payment.

At Thursday’s forum, Mr Pasin reiterated the formal reason he was given for the lack of state government support was it “would compromise the viability of the service in Warrnambool”.

Mr Pasin said he found it an “interesting” excuse as “Paul (Fenton) runs that facility”.

“He was happy to make a tender offer, I would have thought he’d be the best person to tell us whether a facility in Warrnambool and Mount Gambier was viable,” Mr Pasin said.

In June, Mount Gambier City councillor Ben Hood sought answers from Limestone Coast Local Health Network chair Grant King “as to why the LCLHN refused to support the proposal by the former federal government”.

South East residents must either travel five hours to Adelaide or four hours return to Warrnambool for treatment.

Limestone Coast Local Health Network Chair Grant King outside the Mount Gambier Hospital. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Mr King said until recently the LCLHN had not been given an opportunity to review the business case.

“We haven’t seen the proposal in detail – once we’ve done that, that’ll put us in a better position to understand really what the ask might be,” Mr King said.

“This was a (federal) election commitment – often with these situations, not a lot of local consultation occurs.

“We need to understand more about what ICON want to do in our patch.”

Mr Pasin said it was a credit to the newly elected federal government that the grant money had not “evaporated” since the release of the October federal budget.

“It’s still there, there’s still an opportunity for our community,” he said.

“But we can only access it if decision makers a long way from here, in Adelaide, show the political guile that the liberal state government previously didn’t.”