Premier Ben Carroll has promised to cut emergency department wait times by 20 per cent if Labor is re-elected. Speaking at University Hospital Geelong, he said 12 hospital emergency departments would be expanded by 25 per cent. The plan also includes 1500 new health workers, among them 750 nurses, and 250 more beds. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the changes would allow more than 210,000 patients to be treated each year. The state average emergency department wait is currently 15 minutes, though some patients wait more than two hours.
Emergency department wait times at Werribee Mercy Hospital would be cut if the Victorian state government is re-elected next month. The government has promised to reduce wait times by up to 20 per cent across Victoria, which it says will help more than 210,000 patients each year. The plan includes a 25 per cent expansion to 12 hospital emergency departments, hiring 1500 health workers including 750 nurses, and adding 250 beds. Premier Ben Carroll said more nurses would mean patients are seen sooner.
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to expand a dozen emergency departments by 25 per cent as Victorian Labor launches its bid for a fourth term. The $1.5 billion health package also includes 1,500 more health workers, half of them nurses, and 150 extra hospital beds, most opening next year. Labor says the expansions will cut waits by up to 20 per cent at hospitals in Melbourne and regional Victoria. The Australian Medical Association welcomed the funding but called for a review of the whole emergency care system.
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Doctors' union SASMOA says the emergency department at Mount Gambier hospital had about 30 patients for 12 treatment spaces last Wednesday, and a code white should have been called. The union wants regional hospitals added to a public dashboard that currently tracks only Adelaide emergency departments. Health Minister Blair Boyer said presentations have risen across the state, citing a flu spike and patients waiting to move into aged care. Mr Boyer said he would consider adding regional data but must be convinced it would add value.
One Gippsland has launched a tool that tracks major party election commitments for Gippsland against its own regional priorities. The Victorian Commitment Tracker covers hospitals, roads and housing. Commitments already announced include a new West Gippsland Hospital and extra funding for the Wonthaggi Hospital redevelopment. Chair Nathan Hersey said residents can compare promises by party and policy area. Voters are encouraged to check the tracker regularly as the state election nears.
The Australian Centre for Disease Control has launched a new guideline to help health organisations plan for climate change impacts. The package includes tools to assess risks from heatwaves, fires, droughts, storms, floods, and coastal inundation in local health districts. In the Illawarra Shoalhaven region, heatwaves are projected to more than double by 2050 and quadruple by 2085 under a worst-case scenario, increasing heat-related illnesses and straining the health system. The population growth and climate hazards will challenge the region's health services across all six categories.
Stakeholders say the Tasmanian government has failed to act on ambulance ramping and hospital bed blocking after a Hobart man died. His family drove him to the Royal Hobart Hospital because no ambulance was available, though he was categorised as urgent. The health department said it would investigate the incident. The Health and Community Services Union said three ambulances were ramped at the hospital at the time. The premier said a 60-minute transfer protocol had freed up 30,000 extra ambulance hours. Paramedic union figures disputed this, saying conditions are worsening.
The number of aged care patients waiting in New South Wales hospital beds rose almost 40 per cent in a year, from 761 to 1,063. A state commission report warns the figure could exceed 7,000 in 10 years if services fail to keep pace. It estimates the state needs 2,600 new aged care beds a year but is projected to deliver only 660. Commission chief Peter Achterstraat has called for intermediate care options. The state government will fund a $28 million pilot, while the Commonwealth is urged to increase aged care funding.
A Perth grandmother, Elsie Gribben, waited almost 48 hours in a corridor at St John of God Midland Hospital in March, her daughter says. The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine says only 54 per cent of older patients were given an inpatient bed within eight hours in 2023–24, down from 75 per cent in 2018–19. Its report links the pressure to an ageing population and says most hospitals are not equipped to meet rising demand. Federal and state ministers have each blamed the other's government for the problem, which they say relates to aged care placements and hospital capacity.
Australian doctors are warning that political pressure to sharply cut migration could have unintended consequences for hospitals and regional communities. Thirty per cent of Australia's doctors trained overseas, along with more than 40 per cent of GPs and more than half of intensive care specialists. Peter Subramaniam, president of the South Australian branch of the Australian Medical Association, said migrant doctors are holding up the health system, particularly in rural areas. Migrants also make up more than 50 per cent of aged care staff, and Ageing Australia's chief executive warned against telling overseas workers they are unwelcome.
Victoria's doctors have overwhelmingly rejected the state government's latest offer on pay and conditions and have forecast more strike action. In a ballot, 89 per cent of members of the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation Victoria voted against the offer. The dispute follows 18 months of failed negotiations over a new enterprise agreement. The federation wants the deal to address unsustainable working hours, fatigue and patient safety. Doctor Travis Lines said there is no set date for the next strike, but it will happen.
A major network outage disrupted all Northern Territory government departments, including hospitals and police, starting around 3am. NT Police reported three missed emergency calls, but said they were routine and had no consequences. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the outage caused significant disruption, while Greg Connors, deputy chief executive of the Department of Corporate and Digital Development, ruled out a cyber hack and said the issue was expected to be resolved by evening.
South Australia's ambulance union warns of another record ramping month after up to 16 ambulances were ramped at Lyell McEwin Hospital. Paramedics faced high demand, with priority 3 patients waiting up to 20 hours. Opposition health spokesperson Jack Batty said all metro hospitals were at or over 125 per cent capacity, with no emergency beds available. The state government blamed the aged care crisis and increased emergency department presentations.
