Cancer care closer to home under a Tarzia Liberal Government

The Liberal Opposition has announced it will deliver critical care closer to home for cancer patients in the Limestone Coast.

The former Coalition Government allocated $4.3m in 2019 to fund radiation therapy equipment in the Limestone Coast.


Despite Federal funding for the proposal, plans to deliver radiation treatment to the region were halted when the State Government refused to support the proposal with ongoing funding to cover out of pocket costs for patients.


This prompted more than 16,000 people to sign a petition in May 2023 calling for the delivery of radiation treatment services in the Limestone Coast.

However a feasibility study released last month found that establishing a radiation therapy service was not currently a safe, sustainable or financially viable option.

This meant that 150 patients will continue to be required to access such treatment in either Warrnambool or Adelaide.


Visiting Mount Gambier yesterday, Liberal Leader Vincent Tarzia said the community’s calls had fallen “on deaf ears with the State Government once again failing to deliver for regional South Australians”.

Mr Tarzia, who joined with local MLC Ben Hood and Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin to announce the Liberals’ commitment, said cancer sufferers in the Limestone Coast were currently forced to drive up to a 10 hour round trip to undergo critical radiation treatment.

“This comes at a significant financial and emotional cost to patients, who are forced to be separated from their families and support network while undergoing radiation treatment,” he said.

“South Australia is the only state to not deliver radiotherapy services regionally. We will ensure equitable access to health care in our regions, starting with radiation therapy services for cancer suffers in the Limestone Coast.

“Your postcode should not determine your health outcomes. As the party for the regions, we want to reduce the barriers to health care for regional South Australians.”

Mr Hood acknowledged the crucial advocacy of the Radiation Treatment Limestone Coast Working Party that helped secure this outcome.

“I want to thank the tens of thousands of South Australians, and the hardworking grassroots working party, who have fought long and hard to get a commitment from government to establish radiotherapy services in the regions,” he said.

“We have seen similar service models provided interstate in Mildura, Griffith and Warrnambool. Yet the Malinauskas Labor Government is happy to leave cancer suffers in the Limestone Coast to travel interstate to seek critical treatment – at their own cost and far from their families and support network.