Labor pledges $25k to Cancer Council WA Great Southern to install access ramps and undergo maintenance

Cancer patients in the Great Southern will not have to worry about climbing stairs to access services they need for treatment and support if the WA Government is re-elected, after a $25,000 pledge to improve accessibility. Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens promised to install access ramps and undertake maintenance at the Cancer Council Great Southern WA hub, allowing easier access to clients using the five self-catering accommodation units, support services, education programs and Wellbeing Centre. Cancer Council WA Great Southern regional education officer Bruce Beamish said the not-for-profit is “really grateful” for the pledge, saying the buildings — one from 1896 and the other from the 1940s — haven’t undergone any significant renovations for years. “It’s fantastic and it will help just increase the accessibility to our centre here,” he said. “At the moment we have limited accessibility, and this money will just make it that much more accessible to people with disabilities, people that have trouble with mobility, things that often come with cancer.” Ms Stephens labelled the hub — which services a 40km radius of the Great Southern— a “vital link” to cancer support services in Albany. “This funding support will allow people living with cancer, their families and carers, who have limited or no walking ability, to access the hub’s free wellbeing centre, which provides free complementary therapy and other support services,” she said. “This project will deliver improvements to what is already a welcoming environment for cancer patients to access the hub’s services and I am pleased to assist them with this funding to further support our community.” Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said it was “fantastic” to see money go towards “really important” volunteer groups.