Qld Ramping Hits 5-Year Low, Opposition Cites Waitlist Woes

Queensland’s ambulance ramping has dropped to its lowest level in five years, reaching 37.3 percent in the final quarter of 2025, according to state government figures.

Government Highlights Progress

Premier David Crisafulli announced the improvement during a visit to QEII Hospital on Brisbane’s south side. “Over the last decade, ambulance ramping has tripled in Queensland,” Crisafulli stated. “This is the best result recorded in half a decade, and it shows that the changes made are starting to bear fruit, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Officials note that elective surgery waitlists remain stable at nearly 62,000, a decrease from 66,632 shortly after the election. Health Minister Tim Nicholls acknowledged that figures fluctuate but emphasized the positive trend, adding that more efforts are required.

Opposition Challenges Claims

Deputy Labor Opposition Leader Cameron Dick countered that 300,000 Queenslanders still await public hospital appointments, a figure equivalent to the combined populations of Townsville and Cairns. He highlighted that average monthly specialist waiting lists are growing twice as fast under the current LNP government compared to the final year of the previous Labor administration.

“The LNP want to give themselves a medal today about their performance when it comes to ramping in public hospitals, but this is the oldest trick in the book,” Dick said. “If you can’t get an appointment with a doctor, you never get your treatment journey started, and you’ll never need a hospital bed. Now that may open up more beds for patients coming into hospitals through emergency departments, but it leaves hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders languishing on the waitlist for the waitlist.”

Key Health Data

Recent Queensland Health data from December reveals patients wait an average of 29 days for an initial specialist appointment. Emergency department waits average 14 minutes, with over 207,000 arrivals statewide and 64,625 by ambulance.

QEII Hospital Expansion Milestone

The premier also marked progress on the QEII Hospital expansion, where the top floor is complete and fit-out work begins soon. The project adds 112 new inpatient beds, upgraded surgical facilities, and a new car park.