The shortest and longest wait for each surgery
The widest published spread in 2024–25 was for Dupuytren's contracture surgery: 18 days at South Coast District Hospital in South Australia, against 1231 days at Sunshine Hospital in Victoria.
Reference period 2024–25 (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) · released 28 May 2026.
The same surgery can have a published median ten times longer at one public hospital than at another. For each surgery type that at least two public hospitals published a figure for in 2024–25, this page names the hospital with the shortest median and the one with the longest. Each surgery links to its full state-by-state comparison. The 50 longest waits across every surgery are on their own page.
A long median is a measured fact about surgery that already happened, not a judgement of a hospital: case mix, size and demand all differ. No hospital here is called best or worst, and a suppressed figure is never treated as a number.
Shortest and longest, surgery by surgery
| Surgery | Shortest published median | Longest published median | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|
| A to D | |||
| ACL reconstruction | Gawler Health ServiceSA · 14 days | Shellharbour HospitalNSW · 390 days | 108 |
| Adenoid removal | Mount Isa Base HospitalQLD · 1 day | Fiona Stanley HospitalWA · 585 days | 70 |
| Anal fissure repair | Northern Beaches HospitalNSW · 18 days | Cranbourne Integrated Care CentreVIC · 118 days | 21 |
| Aortic aneurysm repair | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 3 days | The Prince Charles HospitalQLD · 98 days | 24 |
| Armpit lymph node removal | Joondalup Health Campus (Public)WA · 6 days | Calvary Mater NewcastleNSW · 24 days | 11 |
| Bartholin's abscess drainage | South West Healthcare [Warrnambool]VIC · 8 days | Royal Hospital for WomenNSW · 102 days | 2 |
| Bladder leakage surgery | Williamstown HospitalVIC · 37 days | Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee HospitalQLD · 359 days | 9 |
| Bladder removal | Sunshine Coast University HospitalQLD · 16 days | Royal North Shore HospitalNSW · 78 days | 18 |
| Bladder scope (cystoscopy) | Bathurst Base HospitalNSW · 1 day | Manning HospitalNSW · 113 days | 131 |
| Bone realignment surgery | The AlfredVIC · 20 days | Royal Melbourne Hospital [City Campus]VIC · 402 days | 49 |
| Bony lump removal | Flinders Medical CentreSA · 14 days | Gosford HospitalNSW · 342 days | 9 |
| Brain surgery through the skull (craniotomy) | Sydney Children's HospitalNSW · 2 days | Royal North Shore HospitalNSW · 126 days | 25 |
| Breast implant removal | Toowoomba HospitalQLD · 20 days | Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]VIC · 363 days | 22 |
| Breast lump removal | St Vincent's On the ParkVIC · 6 days | Bankstown Lidcombe HospitalNSW · 47 days | 105 |
| Breast reconstruction | St Vincent's Hospital [Melbourne]VIC · 8 days | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 558 days | 34 |
| Breast reduction | Osborne Park HospitalWA · 53 days | Dandenong HospitalVIC · 849 days | 24 |
| Breast removal | The AlfredVIC · 5 days | Concord Repatriation HospitalNSW · 49 days | 97 |
| Bunion surgery | St Vincent's Hospital [Melbourne]VIC · 32 days | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 402 days | 19 |
| Carotid artery plaque removal | St Vincent's Hospital [Melbourne]VIC · 8 days | Concord Repatriation HospitalNSW · 50 days | 27 |
| Carpal tunnel surgery | Deniliquin HospitalNSW · 1 day | Sunshine HospitalVIC · 482 days | 160 |
| Cataract surgery | Latrobe Regional Hospital [Traralgon]VIC · 1 day | The Queen Elizabeth HospitalSA · 383 days | 132 |
| Cervix cone biopsy | Sunshine HospitalVIC · 15 days | Gympie HospitalQLD · 33 days | 12 |
| Circumcision | St John of God Midland Public HospitalWA · 7 days | Westmead HospitalNSW · 384 days | 102 |
| Cleft lip and palate repair | Queensland Children's HospitalQLD · 53 days | Monash Medical Centre [Moorabbin]VIC · 560 days | 8 |
| Congenital cardiac defect/s - procedure for | The Children's Hospital at WestmeadNSW · 34 days | Royal Children's Hospital [Parkville]VIC · 178 days | 3 |
| Cornea transplant | The Royal Victorian Eye & Ear HospitalVIC · 67 days | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 203 days | 13 |
| Cranioplasty | Westmead HospitalNSW · 16 days | John Hunter HospitalNSW · 86 days | 15 |
| Curettage and evacuation of uterus | Blackburn Public Surgical CentreVIC · 1 day | Blacktown HospitalNSW · 320 days | 81 |
| Dacryocystorhinostomy | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 68 days | Kurri Kurri HospitalNSW · 364 days | 10 |
| Dermoid cyst - removal of | St Vincent's Hospital [Darlinghurst]NSW · 13 days | The Children's Hospital at WestmeadNSW · 188 days | 5 |
| Deviated septum surgery | Port Lincoln Health ServiceSA · 8 days | Box Hill HospitalVIC · 910 days | 103 |
| Dialysis access surgery | Broome HospitalWA · 1 day | Osborne Park HospitalWA · 71 days | 75 |
| Dilatation and curettage | Thursday Island HospitalQLD · 1 day | Gladstone HospitalQLD · 104 days | 158 |
| Droopy eyelid repair | St John of God Midland Public HospitalWA · 18 days | Royal Children's Hospital [Parkville]VIC · 779 days | 30 |
| Dupuytren's contracture surgery | South Coast District HospitalSA · 18 days | Sunshine HospitalVIC · 1231 days | 63 |
| E to L | |||
| Eardrum drainage | Karratha Health CampusWA · 1 day | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 357 days | 80 |
| Eardrum repair | Joondalup Health Campus (Public)WA · 66 days | Western Hospital [Footscray]VIC · 787 days | 58 |
| Epididymal cyst - removal of | St Vincent's On the ParkVIC · 19 days | St George Hospital NSWNSW · 256 days | 5 |
| Examination of eye under anaesthesia | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 8 days | John Hunter HospitalNSW · 52 days | 11 |
| Excess eyelid skin removal | Princess Alexandra HospitalQLD · 28 days | Fremantle Hospital and Health ServiceWA · 473 days | 23 |
| Female sterilisation | Ballarat Health Services [Base Hospital]VIC · 5 days | Gladstone HospitalQLD · 427 days | 53 |
| Femoro-popliteal bypass graft | Townsville University HospitalQLD · 7 days | Western Hospital [Footscray]VIC · 59 days | 13 |
| Gallbladder removal | Thursday Island HospitalQLD · 1 day | Campbelltown HospitalNSW · 219 days | 176 |
| Ganglion cyst removal | Ballarat Health Services [Base Hospital]VIC · 7 days | Sydney Hospital / Sydney Eye HospitalNSW · 371 days | 42 |
| Glaucoma drainage surgery | St John of God Midland Public HospitalWA · 9 days | Royal Hobart HospitalTAS · 147 days | 19 |
| Grommets | Derby HospitalWA · 3 days | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 357 days | 64 |
| Haemorrhoid surgery | Ballarat Health Services [Base Hospital]VIC · 7 days | Mater Adult HospitalQLD · 320 days | 109 |
| Hammer/claw/mallet toe - correction of | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 11 days | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 354 days | 2 |
| Heart bypass surgery | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 1 day | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 74 days | 23 |
| Heart valve replacement | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 1 day | Royal Children's Hospital [Parkville]VIC · 227 days | 25 |
| Hernia repair | Sandringham HospitalVIC · 18 days | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 351 days | 169 |
| Hiatus hernia repair | Sandringham HospitalVIC · 23 days | Coffs Harbour HospitalNSW · 399 days | 41 |
| Hip replacement | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 26 days | John Hunter HospitalNSW · 409 days | 123 |
| Hydrocele surgery | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 12 days | Campbelltown HospitalNSW · 367 days | 52 |
| Hypospadias - repair of | Monash Medical Centre [Clayton]VIC · 48 days | Campbelltown HospitalNSW · 370 days | 13 |
| Hysterectomy | Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreVIC · 8 days | Albany HospitalWA · 389 days | 126 |
| Inguinal hernia repair | Ballarat Health Services [Base Hospital]VIC · 7 days | Macksville District HospitalNSW · 335 days | 186 |
| Insertion of ventricular peritoneal shunt | Queensland Children's HospitalQLD · 6 days | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 34 days | 7 |
| Joint fusion surgery | The AlfredVIC · 10 days | Toowoomba HospitalQLD · 428 days | 51 |
| Joint replacement revision | Gold Coast University HospitalQLD · 14 days | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 356 days | 27 |
| Keyhole belly surgery (laparoscopy) | Royal Perth Hospital Wellington Street CampusWA · 6 days | Dalby HospitalQLD · 352 days | 149 |
| Keyhole joint surgery | Gawler Health ServiceSA · 15 days | Blacktown HospitalNSW · 360 days | 150 |
| Keyhole sinus surgery | University Hospital GeelongVIC · 34 days | Port Pirie Regional Health ServiceSA · 510 days | 64 |
| Kidney drainage blockage repair | Sydney Children's HospitalNSW · 21 days | Mater Adult HospitalQLD · 111 days | 22 |
| Kidney drainage stent insertion | Port Macquarie Base HospitalNSW · 1 day | Redcliffe HospitalQLD · 193 days | 39 |
| Kidney removal | Queensland Children's HospitalQLD · 7 days | Mater Adult HospitalQLD · 97 days | 57 |
| Knee replacement | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 24 days | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 667 days | 128 |
| Large bowel surgery (colectomy) | Griffith Base HospitalNSW · 5 days | Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]VIC · 84 days | 87 |
| Limb amputation | Box Hill HospitalVIC · 3 days | Royal Perth Hospital Wellington Street CampusWA · 32 days | 22 |
| LLETZ procedure | Peel Health CampusWA · 7 days | Mercy Hospital for WomenVIC · 197 days | 108 |
| Lobectomy/wedge resection/pneumonectomy | St Vincent's Hospital [Darlinghurst]NSW · 7 days | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 32 days | 28 |
| M to S | |||
| Major neck lymph node surgery | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 7 days | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 22 days | 17 |
| Mastoid surgery behind the ear | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 12 days | Royal Melbourne Hospital [City Campus]VIC · 368 days | 25 |
| Meatoplasty | Sunshine Coast University HospitalQLD · 72 days | Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee HospitalQLD · 112 days | 2 |
| Muscle biopsy/temporal artery biopsy | Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation ServiceQLD · 2 days | Royal Melbourne Hospital [City Campus]VIC · 105 days | 10 |
| Muscle or tendon length - change of | Royal Perth Hospital Wellington Street CampusWA · 4 days | Royal Children's Hospital [Parkville]VIC · 425 days | 7 |
| Myomectomy | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 34 days | Royal Brisbane & Women's HospitalQLD · 148 days | 11 |
| Myringotomy (without insertion of grommets) | Karratha Health CampusWA · 1 day | Maitland HospitalNSW · 282 days | 21 |
| Neck disc removal and fusion | Royal Darwin HospitalNT · 14 days | Concord Repatriation HospitalNSW · 330 days | 23 |
| Nerve decompression of spinal cord | Monash Medical Centre [Clayton]VIC · 33 days | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 179 days | 3 |
| Nose and throat scope | Austin Hospital [Heidelberg]VIC · 11 days | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 359 days | 14 |
| Out-turned eyelid repair | Peel Health CampusWA · 9 days | Macksville District HospitalNSW · 367 days | 37 |
| Outer knee nerve release | Princess Alexandra HospitalQLD · 62 days | Toowoomba HospitalQLD · 141 days | 6 |
| Ovary and fallopian tube surgery | Peel Health CampusWA · 9 days | Blue Mountains HospitalNSW · 346 days | 100 |
| Parathyroid gland removal | Latrobe Regional Hospital [Traralgon]VIC · 14 days | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 312 days | 47 |
| Pectus surgery | Queensland Children's HospitalQLD · 4 days | Fremantle Hospital and Health ServiceWA · 414 days | 4 |
| Pedicle screw fusion | Austin Hospital [Heidelberg]VIC · 80 days | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 125 days | 2 |
| Pleurodesis | Royal Melbourne Hospital [City Campus]VIC · 6 days | Royal Adelaide HospitalSA · 23 days | 6 |
| Probing of naso-lacrimal duct | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 8 days | The Children's Hospital at WestmeadNSW · 329 days | 5 |
| Prolapse repair | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 22 days | Rockingham General HospitalWA · 631 days | 66 |
| Prostate biopsy | St John of God Midland Public HospitalWA · 11 days | Monash Medical Centre [Moorabbin]VIC · 130 days | 90 |
| Prostate surgery | Gawler Health ServiceSA · 15 days | Port Pirie Regional Health ServiceSA · 307 days | 103 |
| Pterygium (eye growth) removal | Thursday Island HospitalQLD · 4 days | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 443 days | 65 |
| Reflux surgery | University Hospital GeelongVIC · 33 days | Nepean HospitalNSW · 277 days | 27 |
| Removal of intracranial lesion | Princess Alexandra HospitalQLD · 8 days | Gold Coast University HospitalQLD · 38 days | 8 |
| Retina surgery | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 11 days | Fremantle Hospital and Health ServiceWA · 93 days | 25 |
| Rhinoplasty | Osborne Park HospitalWA · 133 days | Box Hill HospitalVIC · 1236 days | 15 |
| Rotator cuff repair | Royal Melbourne Hospital [City Campus]VIC · 18 days | Coffs Harbour HospitalNSW · 434 days | 40 |
| Salivary gland removal | Royal North Shore HospitalNSW · 16 days | Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]VIC · 177 days | 54 |
| Scar revision | The AlfredVIC · 5 days | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 281 days | 29 |
| Shock wave stone treatment | Griffith Base HospitalNSW · 8 days | The Bendigo HospitalVIC · 176 days | 49 |
| Shoulder decompression surgery | Gawler Health ServiceSA · 14 days | Albany HospitalWA · 376 days | 43 |
| Shoulder joint replacement | Western Hospital [Footscray]VIC · 18 days | Bowral HospitalNSW · 456 days | 89 |
| Shoulder reconstruction | Royal Brisbane & Women's HospitalQLD · 10 days | Gold Coast University HospitalQLD · 290 days | 32 |
| Skin lesion removal | Collie HospitalWA · 11 days | Campbelltown HospitalNSW · 335 days | 214 |
| Spinal bone removal (laminectomy) | Osborne Park HospitalWA · 21 days | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 354 days | 24 |
| Spinal disc removal | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 16 days | Liverpool HospitalNSW · 124 days | 30 |
| Squint surgery | Bunbury HospitalWA · 40 days | Sydney Hospital / Sydney Eye HospitalNSW · 387 days | 25 |
| Stapedectomy | The Royal Victorian Eye & Ear HospitalVIC · 119 days | Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital [Heidelberg West]VIC · 553 days | 4 |
| T to W | |||
| Tailbone cyst surgery | St Vincent's Hospital [Darlinghurst]NSW · 1 day | Mount Druitt HospitalNSW · 311 days | 46 |
| Tendon release | Concord Repatriation HospitalNSW · 1 day | Wagga Wagga HospitalNSW · 332 days | 26 |
| Testicle removal | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 4 days | Redcliffe HospitalQLD · 42 days | 23 |
| Thyroglossal remnant - removal of | Gold Coast University HospitalQLD · 76 days | Royal Children's Hospital [Parkville]VIC · 137 days | 5 |
| Thyroid gland removal | Latrobe Regional Hospital [Traralgon]VIC · 16 days | Maitland HospitalNSW · 464 days | 95 |
| Toenail surgery | Monash Medical Centre [Clayton]VIC · 6 days | Mount Druitt HospitalNSW · 320 days | 43 |
| Tongue-tie or lip-tie surgery | Monash Medical Centre [Moorabbin]VIC · 10 days | John Hunter HospitalNSW · 388 days | 18 |
| Tonsillectomy | Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreVIC · 6 days | Port Pirie Regional Health ServiceSA · 450 days | 114 |
| Torn knee cartilage removal | The AlfredVIC · 16 days | Wollongong HospitalNSW · 297 days | 14 |
| Trapped nerve release (other nerves) | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 21 days | Maitland HospitalNSW · 411 days | 17 |
| Trigger finger release | St Vincent's On the ParkVIC · 14 days | Sunshine HospitalVIC · 473 days | 65 |
| Turbinate surgery (inside the nose) | Royal Prince Alfred HospitalNSW · 21 days | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 729 days | 24 |
| Undescended testicle surgery | Northern Beaches HospitalNSW · 7 days | Gosford HospitalNSW · 174 days | 35 |
| Unhealed fracture repair | Concord Repatriation HospitalNSW · 1 day | Perth Children's HospitalWA · 105 days | 47 |
| Untethering of spinal cord | Queensland Children's HospitalQLD · 33 days | Perth Children's HospitalWA · 131 days | 3 |
| Ureter reconnection surgery | Flinders Medical CentreSA · 33 days | Perth Children's HospitalWA · 106 days | 4 |
| Urinary stone removal | Frankston Public Surgical CentreVIC · 13 days | Campbelltown HospitalNSW · 80 days | 28 |
| Urine passage widening | Austin Hospital [Heidelberg]VIC · 14 days | Dubbo HospitalNSW · 108 days | 14 |
| Varicose vein surgery | St John of God Midland Public HospitalWA · 14 days | Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus]VIC · 714 days | 64 |
| Voice box scope surgery | Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreVIC · 6 days | The Children's Hospital at WestmeadNSW · 88 days | 44 |
| Womb lining removal (endometrial ablation) | Ballarat Health Services [Base Hospital]VIC · 25 days | Blacktown HospitalNSW · 299 days | 27 |
What is not here
Public hospitals only. Private hospitals do not report to this collection, so their waiting times cannot be compared here.
A hospital doing very few of a surgery can publish an unusual median — how to read these figures.