Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. Yesterday, I tabled a petition signed by more than 27,000 people calling on the government to honour its bipartisan commitment to establish proton beam therapy in Australia. Proton beam therapy is a life-saving cancer treatment. Yet, right now, Australians, including children and their families, are being forced to travel overseas to access the treatment or go without it altogether. Despite this, the government's response to the tabling of the petition was to simply say that it is waiting for the states to come back with a plan. Minister, can you explain why the Albanese government is simply waiting for the states to have a plan instead of leading the charge to ensure this life-saving treatment is available to Australians as promised?