Health minister's 'sick tax' hypocrisy as NSW hospital parking fees soar

Families have paid almost $87m in hospital parking fees as revenue nearly triples under a minister who once called the charges a ‘sick tax’. See how much has been paid by region.

Hospital parking fees have soared under Ryan Park.

Families are paying through the nose to visit loved ones in hospital, with Western Sydney copping the brunt of an explosion in NSW Health carparking fees.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal NSW Health raised almost $87m in carparking fees last year, almost triple the amount raised in 2023.

The cash grab means that Health Minister Ryan Park has presided over a massive $56m increase in carparking revenue, despite calling in Opposition for the fees to be scrapped.

According to NSW Health annual reports, families forked out 70 per cent more to park at NSW hospitals last financial year, compared to the 12 months prior.

Western Sydney families are paying the most: Western Sydney Local Health District raised $17.6m from carparking fees in 2024-25, followed by southwestern Sydney ($16.2m).

Western Sydney LHD’s revenue spiked by almost 60 per cent last year, with revenue in South Western Sydney LHD increasing by almost 50 per cent.

The biggest year-on-year increases in parking costs were in Sydney LHD (where revenue increased by 185 per cent, or $6.5m), and North Sydney LHD (which had a 130 per cent increase year-on-year).

The increase comes despite the health minister in 2023 calling for hospital parking fees to be abolished.

Ryan Park once called hospital parking fees a “sick tax”.

When in Opposition, Mr Park labelled hospital parking fees a “sick tax”. Under his watch, parking revenue has surged.

In total, patients, families and staff coughed up a $30.2m in parking fees in the 2023 financial year. That figure covered the end of the Covid pandemic, when parking at hospitals was free. The Minns government re-introduced paid parking in 2024.

Last year, NSW Health made 86.9m in car parking fees.

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane accused Mr Park of “hypocrisy” over the spike in parking revenue.

Western Sydney is copping the brunt of higher parking fees. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“We already knew new patients were waiting longer for care under Chris Minns and now they are paying more as well,” she said.

She called for hospital parking to be “fair, consistent and compassionate, with proper protections for long stay patients, carers and our frontline workers”.

“This is blatant hypocrisy from a health minister who campaigned on parking fees being a ‘cash cow’ and a ‘sick tax’, yet he is now happy to take even more money from families who are simply trying to look after the people they love,” Ms Sloane said.

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane accused Mr Park of “hypocrisy”. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes said parking fees hurt his members, as well as patients.

“I’ve always said that to go to a public hospital you should have a Medicare card, not a credit card – this is a fundamental issue for both patients and workers,” he said.

He called for the Minns government to provide more free parking services in Sydney hospitals, as it has done in certain regional centres.

Mr Park’s spokesman said parking fees spiked because the Minns government re-introduced paid parking at hospitals in February 2024, to stop overcrowding.

“Revenue raised from car parking fees is reinvested in health facilities within the local health district,” Mr Park said.

Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email [e-mail]

Originally published as Health minister's 'sick tax' hypocrisy as NSW hospital parking fees soar