Sick of waiting: State warns health budget will spiral without deal
A massive health bill looms over Queensland as the state battles an unprecedented crisis of patients stuck in hospitals with nowhere else to go.
Spending on Queensland’s hospital and health system would rise 613 per cent to an eye-watering $207 billion within 20 years if the Commonwealth doesn’t step up to rescue long-stay patients, analysis reveals.
This financial year $29.4 billion was spent on health, making up 29.5 per cent of the state’s $100bn budget.
Government modelling, seen by The Courier-Mail, forecasts the increase over five, 10 and 20 years.
Health funding would make up 51.6 per cent, or $207bn, of the government’s $401bn budget in two decades if this year’s 10.2 per cent growth rate continues.
Within a decade the state government’s health funding would be 39 per cent of the budget.
Rising spending on health would leave less cash for other services, according to the modelling.
“Holding all else constant, a rising percentage of health fundings would result in less funding for other services or greater levels of state debt,” it warns.
Even in the most conservative forecast – that annual health funding grows at 7.6 per cent and government revenue rises 5.6 per cent – spending on health would reach 42.7 per cent by 2045-46.
Queensland is advocating for the Commonwealth to step-up hospital and health funding to rescue medically fit “stranded Australians” languishing in hospital beds because there aren’t enough aged-care spots.
Treasurers from each Australian jurisdiction met on Friday, where David Janetzki raised the issue of federal hospital funding and the Albanese government’s push to transfer NDIS responsibilities onto states in exchange for more cash.
State and Territory leaders last week penned a letter to Mr Albanese urging him to honour the 2023 funding agreement that would see the Commonwealth share lift to 42.5 per cent by 2030 and 45 per cent by 2035 to help hospitals housing long-stay patients who are medically fit but stuck waiting for aged care and NDIS beds.
Mr Janetzki said he urged the federal government to “take responsibility” for stranded patients in public hospitals across the country.
“I urged the Albanese government to make a meaningful effort to genuinely meet its funding share (under the National Health Reform Agreement) and take responsibility for stranded Australians so they receive the aged care and NDIS support services they deserve,” he said.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls said state and territory leaders agreed the national issue needed a national solution
“While stranded Australians are languishing in hospitals instead of in the care they need, let’s hope the federal government brings a solution with a fair deal,” he said.
“All states and territories are fighting for a fair deal so everyone can access the hospital care they need and stranded Australians can get the aged care and NDIS support services they deserve.”
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said talks would continue in good faith and argued all governments should “work together to address the growing pressures in the public hospital system”.
The Australian Medical Association Queensland warned governments the issue was costing the health system up to $848m, prompting calls for the federal government to increase its share of hospital funding to 50 per cent.
Aged-care-related bed block worsened in 2025, with just 14.3 public hospital beds available per 1000 people over 65.
Across the country, just 578 aged-care beds were added to the system in the last financial year.
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Originally published as Sick of waiting: State warns health budget will spiral without deal
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