Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 4:12:22 to 4:14:30
The department outlines the release of 32,000 new places to reach a total of 420,000 by June 2027, aiming to achieve a three-month average wait time by November 2027.
Topics: Health, Social services
Speakers: Senator The Hon Anne Ruston, Mr Greg Pugh
Sure, okay. Um so I'm interested, um, how many new packages does the department think or or has assessed will be needed to reach the three-month wait time by November 2027?
Uh so um there's 32,000 new places being released this financial year?
Yep.
Uh that will take us to 420,000 um by the end of the financial year.
2026-27.
That's right.
Yep. But you there is a um an undertaking from the government that um that the department will reach a three-month average wait time by the November 2027, so uh two-year anniversary of the introduction of the reforms. I'm just wondering, in in addition to those 32,000 packages that are budgeted for in 2026-27, how many additional packages does the department believe will need to be released in order to meet that three-month milestone it set itself.
Uh so that's that's the figure that would get us to the end of the financial year, and as it stands, we remain um on track uh to get um there.
So I think so you so what what if you're only doing the modelling of the 32,000 to the end of the financial year? What what is your estimated wait time on the 30th of June once these 32,000 packages are in the system?
Um I notice, but at the moment, um our current wait time is at the 30th of June. Uh, they've been consistently coming down every quarter, so the most recent.
No, no, I'm I'm understanding what if you you've you can't you can't give me data into the following year because you obviously don't have your package release from the government at that stage. So given you've got the package release of 32,000, what does the department believe the wait time will be on the 30th of June 2027?
Uh we'll collect that as part of the rest of the request and come back to you as part of this session if we can.