Patients and families copping huge parking fees at hospitals across Sydney

The NSW government is making a motza from dying and vulnerable patients at Sydney hospitals charging up to $50 a day per parking spot. Search our map for prices across Sydney.

The NSW government is making a motza from dying and vulnerable patients at Sydney hospitals charging up to $50 a day per parking spot, while the taxpayer-funded facilities are palmed off to the private sector to operate.

More than a third of carparks at major metropolitan hospitals are hired out to operators including Point Parking, Secure Parking and Wilson Parking, with NSW Health setting the fees and charging patients, their loved ones, and the staff who care for them a premium to access care.

Royal North Shore Hospital in St Leonards. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Under a lucrative arrangement for both parties, the government pays private operators a flat monthly rate to manage the carparks, but sets the parking prices and reaps in millions of dollars in revenue.

At least 12 of the 31 major metro hospitals in Sydney have privately operated car parks.

St Vincent’s Hospital tops the list and charges $50 per day, Royal North Shore Hospital charges $42.60, while St George Hospital charges $38, according to the latest data made available by NSW Health.

Prince of Wales Hospital charges the highest hourly parking rate at $11.60, followed closely by an $11.20 hourly rate at St George Hospital.

Patients and visitors are also far more likely to fork out exorbitant fees to access hospitals in the eastern and northern suburbs, compared to their western or southern counterparts.

Just in the last two years, NSW Health financial records showed revenue from hospital carparking surged from $30.2m to $51.7m after the Minns government reinstated paid parking in February 2024.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the government reinstated paid parking after being inundated with complaints about the public crowding out hospital parking at busy city sites when it was made free during Covid.

Mr Park also defended the decision to hire hospital carpark management out to private companies, including the $34m taxpayer-funded facility at Campbelltown Hospital, which was passed off to Secure Parking in 2020.

Registered nurse, Olivia Stewart, from the Royal North Shore branch of the NSW Nurses & Midwives Association. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“While local health districts operate a number of NSW Health carparks, some choose to engage private operators to run the carparks at their hospitals – but let me be clear, all proceeds are reinvested into health facilities within the local health district,” he said.

Marilyn and Roger Armstrong, 73 and 77, travel up from their hometown in Parkes to spend months at St Vincents’ Hospital for Roger’s treatment, with Marilyn often resorting to catching public transport to visit him when parking fees stack up.

The couple try and secure parking spots on the street when they can, but Roger said they “don’t drive everyday obviously, it just costs too much”.

Royal North Shore Hospital registered nurse Olivia Stewart, 34, slammed the government for setting high prices with concessions for long-term patients and carers wrapped in red tape.

“I think it is despicable, especially for families that are sometimes going through the toughest times of their lives,” she said.

“There is also a long process people have to go through to prove their financial hardship and to prove their loved one has been an inpatient for long enough (to secure a concession).

Minister for Health Ryan Park during Question Time Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“It’s not even worth it if you’re not staying for more than a week because it takes so long.”

Although staff parking concessions are offered to thousands of workers across the state and have reduced the daily fee at Royal North Shore (RNS) Hospital to $6.50, Ms Stewart claimed the waitlist for a staff pass at RNS was between 10 months to one year long.

Opposition health spokeswoman Kellie Sloane claimed Mr Park “used to call hospital parking fees a sick tax and cash cow (but) these days he sings a very different tune”.

While Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes said forking out cash was the last thing patients and their carers should have to worry about, even if the money eventually makes its way back into the system.

“When you go to a hospital you want to rely on your Medicare card not your credit card,” Mr Hayes said.

Originally published as Patients and families copping huge parking fees at hospitals across Sydney