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Average elective surgery waiting times in Australia

Official AIHW median waits for public hospital elective surgery, by urgency, specialty and state — checked daily.

Median wait by specialty

Specialty	Australia	ACT	NSW	NT	Qld	SA	Tas	Vic	WA
Ear, nose and throat surgery	99 days	224	252	116	68	91	100	85	111
Ophthalmology	92 days	123	224	147	73	78	89	62	66
Orthopaedic surgery	86 days	169	150	55	77	77	102	60	89
Paediatric surgery	46 days	77	42	—	—	50	28	45	51
Gynaecology	37 days	56	45	20	41	55	38	26	37
Neurosurgery	37 days	74	44	—	30	45	39	35	29
General surgery	35 days	66	45	30	31	34	40	27	42
Urology	28 days	30	37	35	30	41	38	21	29
Plastic surgery	26 days	28	34	23	29	29	23	17	33
Vascular surgery	25 days	26	25	24	25	25	43	23	29
Other surgery	24 days	84	22	—	42	42	—	21	21
Cardio-thoracic surgery	20 days	15	22	—	17	28	48	19	22

State columns are median days.

Common questions

What is the average waiting time for elective surgery in Australia?

It depends on urgency. In 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30, the national median wait was . The longest median wait by specialty was ear, nose and throat surgery (99 days).

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) — MyHospitals, elective surgery waiting times, 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30.