Tasmania is lobbying for more Federal Government aged-care places. Photo: Anna Stills.
The Tasmanian Government is supporting recent calls from peak health organisations for action on issues in the aged-care sector.
Liberal Member for Lyons Jane Howlett said the Tasmanian Government had been advocating for more aged-care places throughout Tasmania.
“On any given day, we have 78 Tasmanians stranded in hospitals because the Federal Labor Government has not provided them with an aged-care placement,” Ms Howlett said.
“We strongly support the Ageing Australia, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) call for a substantial increase in aged-care places across the country.”
The Tasmanian Government said more than 3600 patients were now stuck in state hospitals across the country while waiting for Commonwealth Government aged-care places.
The number increased nationally from more than 2700 in mid-2025 to over 3600 in mid-2026. The numbers jumped from 1076 to 1272 in Queensland, 750 to 1027 in NSW, 245 to 476 in South Australia, 230 to 423 in Western Australia, 226 to 302 in Victoria, 55 to 78 in Tasmania, 76 to 74 in the Northern Territory and 78 to 80 in the ACT.
“When patients cannot be discharged to appropriate care, beds in our hospital wards cannot be used and patients wait longer in emergency departments,” Ms Howlett said.
“The Federal Government needs to urgently increase aged-care capacity, provide more beds, and deliver more Support at Home packages.
“We call on the Winter-Willie Opposition to join us in advocating to the Federal Labor Government.”
