Australia’s public hospitals are set to receive an additional $1.7 billion in funding during the next financial year, aimed at reducing waiting lists, cutting emergency room wait times, and managing ramping, the federal government revealed on Wednesday.
The one-year deal will boost the Albanese Government’s spend on state-run public hospitals by 12%, raising the total to $33.91 billion for 2025-26.
“For too long we’ve seen governments stuck in trench warfare playing the blame game on hospital funding,” Health Minister Mark Butler said.
“This infuriates Australians when all they want is to make sure they don’t spend hours ramped in an ambulance or waiting in an overcrowded emergency department.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Labor’s funding commitment starkly contrasted that of opposition leader Peter Dutton.
“Labor created Medicare, and we will protect it,” Mr Albanese said.
“Our public health system is too precious to entrust Peter Dutton and the Liberals, who ripped $50 billion out of public hospital funding when he was Health Minister.”
The government said it is still negotiating with states and territories on a longer-term hospitals funding deal and securing the future of the NDIS.
With NSW set to receive an extra $407 million under the one-year deal, the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) is calling on the Minns Government to allocate its share of the federal health funding towards boosting wages for nurses and midwives.
“The Minns Labor Government has repeatedly acknowledged that the nursing and midwifery workforce needs a pay rise but has said they just can’t afford to meet the amount needed to fix the current wage disparity,” NSWNMA Acting General Secretary, Michael Thwaites, said.
“With this additional funding, the Minns Government can come back to negotiations and direct this money towards wages for nurses and midwives.
“Emergency departments, mental health and maternity services in NSW are in a crisis driven by inadequate wages, but the Minns Government is refusing to admit it, unlike the federal government who is acknowledging that the public health system is worth investing in.”
