Government spending on taxis increases while Eric Abetz cuts $700 million from health

New figures show the Liberal Government is on track to spend more on taxis for Ambulance Tasmania patients last financial year than in any of the past three years.

Ambulance Tasmania has already spent $52,190 on taxis for patient transport to April 2026 and is on track to spend around $60,000 by the end of June 2026.

That is well above the $50,810 spent in 2024-25, $53,621 in 2023-24, and $54,721 in 2022-23.

Since 2022-23, more than $211,000 has been spent on taxis for Ambulance Tasmania patients across Hobart, Launceston, and Devonport.

The issue is not that taxis should never be used. The issue is that Tasmanians are calling for urgent medical help and, too often, the ambulance they need is not there when they need it.

We have already seen deeply distressing cases where Tasmanians experiencing serious medical episodes were left waiting for hours, while their loved ones were told Ambulance Tasmania was too busy to send a crew.

That is not the fault of the staff answering the phone, clinicians making difficult decisions, or paramedics doing an extraordinary job under enormous pressure.

It is the fault of a Liberal Government that has failed to properly resource the health system. After 13 years of the Liberals, Eric Abetz is now cutting $700 million from health to pay for it.

Those cuts will only put more pressure on Ambulance Tasmania, more pressure on paramedics, and more pressure on the people making impossible decisions in an overstretched system.

Tasmanians do not call triple zero hoping for a taxi. They call because they need help.