NSW Health's parking revenue rose to $51.69 million in 2024, while some Sydney nurses wait years for a staff permit or pay commercial rates.
Parking costs have become part of the pay dispute between NSW nurses and the state government. NSW Health earned $51.69 million from hospital car parking fees in 2024, up from $30.2 million in 2023.
Staff parking permits cost about $2,600 a year, or $56 a fortnight at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Getting a permit can take a long time. One RPA nurse waited nearly three years for staff parking and paid more than $20 a day for private parking in the meantime. A midwife said her hospital was still working through parking applications from 2019.
Patients and carers also pay. General parking ranges from $16.20 to more than $60 depending on the hospital. At the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick, a day costs $35, which is about one hour's pay for a second-year nurse.
Health Minister Ryan Park said NSW Health provides "heavily subsidised parking for tens of thousands of staff". At the time, the nurses' union was seeking a 15 per cent pay rise over one year. The government had offered 10.5 per cent over three years.
Shift workers who can't get a hospital permit have few options. A driveway or garage rented by the month within walking distance of a major hospital can cost less than paying daily rates.
Source: ABC News — NSW nurses struggle for parking at hospitals amidst fight for better pay
Photo: J Bar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney.