2024-25 Budget

The record $28.9 billion health budget for 2024–25 aims to address pressure on emergency departments, improve ambulance responsiveness, reduce wait times for surgery and specialist clinics, and enhance First Nations, women’s healthcare and the health workforce.

It includes:

• $22.1 billion for the State’s 16 Hospital and Health Services
• $2.16 billion infrastructure program
• $1.14 billion for the Putting Patients First 2024–25 Plan (more information below)
• funding for more than 4,000 additional staff to be employed.

More information on these and other health initiatives and highlights, published in the 2024-25 State Budget, are shown below.

Putting Patients First 2024-25

The Putting Patients First 2024–25 Plan (PDF 920 kB) aims to further tackle ramping and other healthcare pressures and builds on last year’s $764 million plan (PDF 1663 kB).

It includes funding for:

Keeping Queenslanders out of hospital

• $72.9 million investment in free vaccinations, including flu
• $8 million to expand the Pharmacy Scope of Practice trial
• $18 million for responses to mental health crisis and suicidality

Building a modern workforce

• $129.5 million investment in our ambulance services
• $13 million to embed mental health clinicians in emergency departments
• $16 million for Allied Health Service enhancement

New ways of delivering care

• $27.8 million to enhance patient flow through our healthcare system
• $27 million invested in virtual care, including the state’s first virtual hospital and virtual emergency care service
• $186.5 million to assist long-stay patients to return home sooner

Building for a growing population

• $165.7 million to continue building better hospital facilities and open more beds
• $25.1 million to expand existing and establish new bed-based treatment services for mental health, alcohol and other drugs services for adults

More care closer to home

• $92.8 million additional investment in the satellite hospital program
• $15.1 million in additional funding for rural and remote birthing services
• $4.7 million to open transplant assessment clinics in Townsville, expanding the North Queensland Kidney Transplant Service

Mental Health Wellbeing Budget

In 2024-25, the Queensland Government is investing $457 million into mental health, alcohol and other drugs as part of the Better Care Together funding commitments. You can read more about this funding in our Mental health, alcohol and other drugs Health Budget 2024-25 (PDF 267 kB) summary.

First Nations First Health Budget

Additional funding has also been dedicated over the next four years to accelerate efforts to address health inequities among First Nations Queenslanders. This is outlined in our First Nations First Health Budget 2024-25 (PDF 1539 kB).