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Surgery Waits

The 50 longest published surgery waits in Australia

The longest published median wait in 2024–25 was 1,236 days, for Rhinoplasty at Box Hill Hospital in Victoria.

The figures are for 2024–25. The data was released on 19 August 2026.

Every figure on this page is a median that a public hospital published for 2024–25. Half of the people who had that surgery at the hospital waited longer than the median. The list shows the 50 longest waits and every row that shares the last wait shown, so it can have more than 50 rows.

The 50 longest published waits

The rank orders this list only. It compares figures from different surgeries and different hospitals, so it says nothing about how well a hospital performs.

This table scrolls sideways on a narrow screen.

The 50 longest published median waits across every surgery and public hospital2024–25, released 19 August 2026
RankHospitalSurgeryStateMedian waitSurgeries
1Box Hill HospitalRhinoplastyVIC1,236 days13 surgeries
2Sunshine HospitalDupuytren's contracture surgeryVIC1,231 days30 surgeries
3Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]RhinoplastyVIC951 days19 surgeries
4Box Hill HospitalDeviated septum surgeryVIC910 days75 surgeries
5Dandenong HospitalBreast reductionVIC849 days10 surgeries
6Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]Deviated septum surgeryVIC814 days61 surgeries
7Royal Perth Hospital Wellington Street CampusRhinoplastyWA794 days28 surgeries
8Western Hospital [Footscray]Eardrum repairVIC787 days11 surgeries
9Royal Children's Hospital [Parkville]Droopy eyelid repairVIC779 days27 surgeries
10Royal Darwin HospitalEardrum repairNT767 days30 surgeries
11Lismore Base HospitalEardrum repairNSW736 days10 surgeries
12Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]Turbinate surgery (inside the nose)VIC729 days26 surgeries
13The Royal Victorian Eye & Ear HospitalRhinoplastyVIC723 days10 surgeries
14Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]Varicose vein surgeryVIC714 days18 surgeries
15Blackburn Public Surgical CentreDeviated septum surgeryVIC690 days94 surgeries
16Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]Knee replacementVIC667 days103 surgeries
17The Queen Elizabeth HospitalBreast reductionSA659 days45 surgeries
18Rockingham General HospitalProlapse repairWA631 days17 surgeries
19Royal Adelaide HospitalBreast reductionSA588 days22 surgeries
20Fiona Stanley HospitalAdenoid removalWA585 days17 surgeries
21Rockhampton HospitalKnee replacementQLD562 days41 surgeries
22Monash Medical Centre [Moorabbin]Cleft lip and palate repairVIC560 days19 surgeries
23Royal Adelaide HospitalBreast reconstructionSA558 days17 surgeries
24Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]Deviated septum surgeryVIC557 days262 surgeries
25Flinders Medical CentreBreast reductionSA553 days25 surgeries
25Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]StapedectomyVIC553 days13 surgeries
25Monash Medical Centre [Moorabbin]Breast reconstructionVIC553 days20 surgeries
28Latrobe Regional Hospital [Traralgon]RhinoplastyVIC551 days12 surgeries
29Modbury HospitalRhinoplastySA543 days18 surgeries
29Northeast Health WangarattaDeviated septum surgeryVIC543 days24 surgeries
31Fiona Stanley HospitalBreast reconstructionWA541 days42 surgeries
32Austin Hospital [Heidelberg]Deviated septum surgeryVIC534 days78 surgeries
33Port Pirie Regional Health ServiceDeviated septum surgerySA513 days17 surgeries
34Port Pirie Regional Health ServiceKeyhole sinus surgerySA510 days18 surgeries
35Fremantle Hospital and Health ServiceSub-mucosal resectionWA498 days48 surgeries
36Modbury HospitalEardrum repairSA487 days16 surgeries
37Sunshine HospitalCarpal tunnel surgeryVIC482 days62 surgeries
38John Hunter HospitalEardrum repairNSW481 days14 surgeries
38The Canberra HospitalDeviated septum surgeryACT481 days44 surgeries
40Bowral HospitalKnee replacementNSW473 days78 surgeries
40Fremantle Hospital and Health ServiceExcess eyelid skin removalWA473 days33 surgeries
40Latrobe Regional Hospital [Traralgon]Keyhole sinus surgeryVIC473 days54 surgeries
40Sunshine HospitalTrigger finger releaseVIC473 days17 surgeries
44Fremantle Hospital and Health ServiceDroopy eyelid repairWA471 days11 surgeries
45Maitland HospitalThyroid gland removalNSW464 days17 surgeries
46Coffs Harbour HospitalVaricose vein surgeryNSW462 days14 surgeries
46Lismore Base HospitalDeviated septum surgeryNSW462 days14 surgeries
48Bowral HospitalShoulder joint replacementNSW456 days14 surgeries
49Fiona Stanley HospitalKeyhole sinus surgeryWA452 days13 surgeries
50Port Pirie Regional Health ServiceAdenoid removalSA451 days21 surgeries

How to read these figures

A median wait describes surgery that already happened. It does not judge a hospital, because hospitals differ in the cases they treat and in the number of people they serve.

This site calls no hospital best or worst. A figure that is not published never counts as a number.

Each page below shows the same published medians from a different angle.

What these figures leave out

Private hospitals are excluded. These pages cover public hospitals only, so they show no private hospital. They also leave out closed hospitals and any figure that is not published.

Before you use these figures

Surgery Waits is not medical advice. Your general practitioner and your treating specialist can help you decide what is right for you.

In an emergency, call 000.

Where this data comes from

  • Dataset on publicdata.au
    Elective surgery waiting times by hospital and intended procedure, Australia
    Publisher
    Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
    Version
    20 October 2026
    Data released
    19 August 2026
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    How to cite this data
    Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, MyHospitals Data API, elective surgery waiting times data extract, sourced 19 October 2026, https://myhospitalsapi.aihw.gov.au/, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-elective-surgery-waiting-times-by-procedure/v/2026-10-20/
  • Dataset on publicdata.au
    Hospitals, Local Hospital Networks and Primary Health Networks in MyHospitals, Australia
    Publisher
    Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
    Version
    3 October 2026
    Data released
    19 August 2026
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    How to cite this data
    Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, MyHospitals Data API, mapping details extract, sourced 3 October 2026, https://myhospitalsapi.aihw.gov.au/, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-hospitals-myhospitals/v/2026-10-03/
  • Dataset on publicdata.au
    Reported measures and their codes in MyHospitals, Australia
    Publisher
    Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
    Version
    27 October 2026
    Data released
    The publisher gives no release date for this dataset.
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    How to cite this data
    Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, MyHospitals Data API, reported measures, sourced 26 October 2026, https://myhospitalsapi.aihw.gov.au/, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-myhospitals-reported-measures/v/2026-10-27/
  • Dataset on publicdata.au
    Reporting unit mappings to health networks and states in MyHospitals, Australia
    Publisher
    Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
    Version
    27 October 2026
    Data released
    The publisher gives no release date for this dataset.
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    How to cite this data
    Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, MyHospitals Data API, reporting units, sourced 26 October 2026, https://myhospitalsapi.aihw.gov.au/, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-myhospitals-reporting-unit-mappings/v/2026-10-27/
  • Dataset on publicdata.au
    Reporting unit codes and alternative names in MyHospitals, Australia
    Publisher
    Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
    Version
    27 October 2026
    Data released
    The publisher gives no release date for this dataset.
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    How to cite this data
    Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Government, MyHospitals Data API, reporting units, sourced 26 October 2026, https://myhospitalsapi.aihw.gov.au/, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-myhospitals-reporting-units/v/2026-10-27/