Regional Radiotherapy Advocacy Renewed Ahead of State Election

Limestone Coast Radiation Treatment Working Group Chair Lachlan Haynes (closest to the camera on the left) with fellow group members and SA election candidates for the seats of MacKillop and Mount Gambier. (IMAGE: Supplied)

Access to radiotherapy treatment in South Australia’s Limestone Coast has again been pushed into the spotlight, with local advocates meeting election candidates to discuss the region’s healthcare needs.

Members of the Limestone Coast Radiotherapy Working Group met with candidates from the electorates of Mount Gambier and MacKillop on Monday, February 23, to outline the community’s long-running push for local cancer treatment services and hear each party’s position on the issue.

Speaking with FlowFM’s Jessica Dempster on the Country Viewpoint, working group chair Lachlan Haynes said the meeting provided a valuable opportunity to ensure candidates understood the scale of support behind the campaign.

“It was really important for us to explain why radiotherapy is such a critical service for our region and to hear directly from candidates about their level of support,” Mr Haynes said.

The working group formed in early 2023 following renewed community efforts to procure radiotherapy services for the Limestone Coast region, which remain unavailable anywhere outside Adelaide in South Australia.

For many regional patients, that means travelling hundreds of kilometres for treatment, often to Adelaide or across the border to Warrnambool in Victoria.

Mr Haynes said that while radiotherapy sessions themselves are relatively short, patients often require daily treatment over several weeks, meaning many are forced to temporarily relocate, placing significant financial and emotional pressure on both patients and their families.

“People can be away from home for weeks or months at a time,” he said. “That means time away from work, financial strain and being separated from family and support networks during an already difficult period.”

Cancer Council SA’s Greenhill Lodge accommodation hosts hundreds of regional South Australians each year who must travel to Adelaide for cancer treatment and related appointments. IMAGE: Cancer Council SA.

Community backing for the more localised service has been significant over the years. A petition launched by the working group in 2023 gathered more than 20,000 signatures, triggering a legislative review in the South Australian Parliament. However, in 2024 a feasibility study concluded that establishing a permanent radiation therapy service in the Limestone Coast, based in Mount Gambier, was not a safe, sustainable or financially viable option at the time - a finding that was met with outrage and deep disappointment from the local community.

“We reminded candidates that nearly a third of people in our region signed that petition,” Mr Haynes said. “That level of support shows just how important this issue is to the community.”

While candidates expressed differing views on how the service could be delivered, Mr Haynes said it was encouraging that all those who engaged with the working group voiced support for establishing radiotherapy in the region.

“Some candidates were very strong in their advocacy and put forward funding commitments or timelines, while others were supportive but raised conditions around feasibility,” he said.

“Overall though, the positive outcome was that every candidate acknowledged the need.”

Discussions also touched on broader healthcare challenges, including the importance of adequate staffing and support services across regional hospitals.

With the state election approaching, Mr Haynes said the group would continue advocating strongly to ensure the issue remains a priority.

“We’ve always said this is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said.

“Our advocacy isn’t going anywhere, and we’ll keep pushing until the Limestone Coast has the radiotherapy services it deserves.”

Mr Haynes says no matter the outcome of the election, the working group's advocacy is not going anywhere. "We will keep until the Limestone Coast has the radiotherapy services it deserves." IMAGE: Supplied.