The Minns Labor Government is continuing to rebuild essential health services for the people of NSW by investing $23 million to reduce overdue surgeries as part of the 2025-26 Budget.  

It follows 12 years of neglect of our health system by the previous Liberal Government who presided over a record 17,000 overdue surgeries.  

The Minns Labor Government will invest $23 million to reduce the number of planned surgeries waiting longer than clinically recommended. 

This additional funding is expected to enable an additional 3,500 surgeries to be completed over the next year. 

It comes as the latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly data shows overdue surgeries have increased by 1,745 patients, to 8,587, in the past quarter. 

This is down from around 14,000 in March 2023, when the NSW Government established the Surgical Care Governance Taskforce, but an increase from around 2,000 in mid-2024. 

Meanwhile, there is encouraging data coming out of Western Sydney Local Health District emergency departments over the past year to the March 2025 quarter.  

Semi urgent presentations decreased/improved by 7.20%. 

Non urgent presentations decreased/improved by 7.60%. 

The percentage of patients transferred from paramedics to ED staff within 30 minutes was at 78.6%. 

This was an improvement of 10.80%. 

It comes after the Minns Labor Government invested a half billion dollars into emergency department relief through creating more pathways to care outside the hospital as well as improving patient flow within the hospital.  

Member for Parramatta Donna Davis, said:  

“For 12 years, the Liberals neglected our health system, presiding over a record number of overdue surgeries.  

“From day one, tackling overdue surgeries has been our priority.  

“We made significant progress in reducing the overdue surgeries that we inherited, down from 14,000. 

“But we know there’s always more that we can do to improve the accessibility of planned surgeries.”