Albanese Government Pledges $1.7 Billion Boost for Public Hospitals

The one-year funding increase aims to reduce emergency wait times and surgery backlogs while longer-term agreements remain tied to NDIS reforms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $1.7 billion funding boost for public hospitals, marking a 12% increase in federal contributions for 2025-26.
The funding aims to address critical issues such as long emergency department wait times, ambulance ramping, and elective surgery backlogs.
This is a single-year agreement as the government has delayed negotiating a five-year hospital funding deal until after the federal election.
Future hospital funding agreements will depend on states progressing reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), including developing foundational support systems for people with disabilities.
Labor is positioning healthcare as a key election issue, contrasting its record with past Coalition cuts to hospital funding under Peter Dutton.