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Byron Shire
July 15, 2025

Hospital staff want to park for free while they work

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It seems that Lismore Base isn’t the only hospital whose workers would like to park their cars for free while they work.

Tens of thousands of hospital workers are mobilising for a major campaign against the State Government’s decision to charge them up to $1,000 a year to park at work.

Hospital parking fees were suspended for staff in April last year following a spirited campaign by hospital workers and the Health Services Union.

But NSW Health has now quietly confirmed its intention to reintroduce the fees, which amount to a 2-3 per cent tax on the income of modestly paid cleaners, security officers, admin staff and therapists.

Heroes of the pandemic risked their health and wellbeing

Gerard Hayes, HSU NSW Secretary says the heroes of the pandemic have risked their health and wellbeing to keep hospitals running smoothly and safely. All the while, the Treasurer and NSW Health have been quietly scheming to reimpose a massive tax on them.

‘For someone earning fifty to sixty thousand dollars a year, ripping more than a thousand dollars from their income is a major hit. It’s the difference between paying for their child’s school excursions or affording a modest holiday at a caravan park.

‘This big new tax compounds the wage freeze the Government has already imposed. So it’s a double whammy against hospital staff who worked their guts out to protect us from COVID.

‘I’m issuing an open invitation to Dominic Perrottet. Put down your abacus and come and speak to a group of hospital security officers and cleaners. Explain to them why they deserve to be taxed one thousand dollars, after they have spent the last year dodging violent patients or wiping coronavirus off hospital wards.

‘This is more than a question of politics and economics. It’s a question of morality. The Treasurer must explain why he is taxing the very people who keep us healthy and safe.’


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