Western Australia (WA) has the longest emergency department wait times for urgent care in the country, with only 29% of patients seen within the recommended 30 minutes in 2024-25. While critical patients received timely care, semi-urgent cases performed poorly, with less than half seen within the 60-minute standard. Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam criticized the situation as “shameful,” while Premier Roger Cook acknowledged the challenges but praised frontline workers. In contrast, St John WA excelled in response times, achieving the best national performance in critical call answering.
