Public Hospital Report Card 2026 shows there is still a long way to go

In a sign of how important this report card is, AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen was joined at the launch by Tim Nicholls, the Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services.

The report shows modest improvements in some areas, including a small reduction in the median wait time for planned surgery and an increase in the total number of public hospital beds. But overall performance remains significantly worse than it was ten years ago, reflecting the impact of growing demand.

The report confirms the system remains stretched beyond its limits, and it is unclear whether additional federal government funding in the new National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) will be enough to reverse the decline in performance. 

After years of campaigning through our Clear the Hospital Logjam campaign the federal government has announced an additional $25 billion in funding for the new agreement, which is, of course, very welcome. 

But our costings suggest this may not be enough to get our public hospitals out of the cycle of crisis they’ve been in. 

Our modelling showed that at least $34 billion was the type of investment required, with substantial additional investment needed from the states and territories, who oversee the day-to-day running of our public hospital system.

The report shows patients are still waiting too long for care and the gap between demand and capacity continues to grow.

Emergency departments remain under intense pressure nationwide. The proportion of patients completing their emergency department visit within four hours has fallen again to the lowest level on record, with just over half of patients now meeting the nationally agreed benchmark.

We will continue to monitor the impact of the new agreement as it is rolled out and continue to seek reforms that will make a difference to all the doctors working with and in the system. 

Read the report

Read our media statement