THE ACT average emergency department wait time continues to be the longest in Australia, for the fifth year in a row.

The latest the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows Canberra’s average wait times, at 47 minutes, are more than double the national emergency department (ED) wait time average of 20 minutes, and significantly higher than the NSW average of 14 minutes.

Opposition health spokesperson Leanne Castley said this is the fifth consecutive year Canberra has recorded the worst ED wait times in the country, despite emergency presentations falling by 6.5 per cent.

“These figures are simply unacceptable,” said Castley.

“Each year the Labor-Greens government tells Canberrans that they are implementing new models and reviewing their practices, yet they continue to languish at the bottom of the list for ED performance in the country.

“Public hospitals are meant to provide reliable assistance to patients who require urgent and specialised care for themselves or loved ones and the Labor-Greens has not been able to deliver this for the community since 2017-18.

“What is concerning is that the latest quarterly report showed that more than 3300 Canberrans were leaving ED without being seen because of excessive wait times.

“This Labor-Greens government has ripped money away from the health system over a number of years to pay for the tram and this is the result of not prioritising our health system.”