The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia's future and strengthening Medicare, delivering an additional $1.7billion to fund public hospitals and health services next year.
This is in stark contrast to Peter Dutton, who was voted Australia's worst Health Minister by Australia's doctors and cut more than $50 billion from public hospitals.
Under a new Agreement between the Albanese Government and all state and territory governments, the total Commonwealth contribution to state-run public hospitals will increase by 12 per cent to reach a record $33.91 billion in 2025-26.
This funding will be delivered to states and territories, to help cut waiting lists, reducing waiting times in emergency rooms and managing ramping.
| Commonwealth funding in 2024-25 |
Extra one-off funding boost | Commonwealth funding in 2025-26* |
Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | $8.89 billion | $407 million | $9.88 billion | 11% |
| Vic | $7.30 billion | $402 million | $8.18 billion | 12% |
| Qld | $7.07 billion | $414 million | $7.94 billion | 12% |
| WA | $3.25 billion | $158 million | $3.62 billion | 11% |
| SA | $2.05 billion | $169 million | $2.35 billion | 15% |
| Tas | $0.66 billion | $50 million | $0.75 billion | 14% |
| ACT | $0.54 billion | $50 million | $0.63 billion | 16% |
| NT | $0.43 billion | $51 million | $0.56 billion | 30% |
| National | $30.19 billion | $1.70 billion | $33.91 billion | 12% |
* Estimate based on Commonwealth share of estimated hospital activity in 2025-26, including expected growth under the one-year extension to the NHRA. Sum of states and territories may not equal national figure due to rounding.
At the National Cabinet meeting in December 2023, First Ministers agreed the Commonwealth and state and territory governments would work together to deliver system-wide structural health reform and also work to secure the future of the NDIS.
Under today's Agreement, all jurisdictions remain committed to the existing collaborative process on NDIS rules and work on foundational supports.
This funding was fully provisioned in the 2023-24 MYEFO.
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
"Labor created Medicare, and we will protect it.
"Our public health system is too precious to entrust to Peter Dutton and the Liberals, who ripped $50 billion out of public hospital funding when he was Health Minister.
"This $1.7 billion funding boost will protect our public hospital system, strengthen Medicare and help build Australia's Future."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler:
"For too long we've seen governments stuck in trench warfare playing the blame game on hospital funding. 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.
"The choice facing Australians at the coming election couldn't be clearer: an Albanese Government committing more funding to public hospitals, or more cuts from Peter Dutton, who cut $50 billion from public hospitals when he was Health Minister."
