Embargoed until 9.00am, Thursday 13 August
Health organisations representing over 400,000 Australian healthcare workers are gathering at Parliament House today for the launch of a new report that calls on the Federal Government to fund feasibility studies to electrify nine pilot hospitals across every Australian state and territory.
The report, ‘All-Electric Healthy Hospitals: a Cost-Benefit Analysis’ found that electrifying 10% of Australia’s public hospitals each year from 2027 until 2036 would save $59 million per year in hospital energy bills, and lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking nearly 150,000 petrol cars off our roads.
Dr Monique Ryan MP and Dr Sophie Scamps MP will co-launch the report today with Healthy Futures, Lucid Consulting, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, Australian Federation of Medical Women, Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Climate and Health Alliance. Representatives from the Australian Medical Association, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation and Lung Foundation Australia will also be in attendance.
Dr Harry Jennens, Co-Founder of Healthy Futures said “Electrifying our hospitals will save money in the medium to long term and protect people’s health. If hospitals aren’t beholden to the volatile global price shocks of expensive fossil gas, they’ll have more money to invest in what’s most important - patient care.
“The energy security of our hospitals is paramount, and the reliability of gas supplies is vulnerable to storms and infrastructure accidents that can damage pipelines. This could leave a hospital without heat or hot water, which can have severe consequences for patient care. In Lithgow a few years ago a shutdown in the gas supply forced a hospital to postpone surgeries and patients faced delays in receiving care. Electrifying our public hospitals will strengthen the energy security of our healthcare system.”
The health sector accounts for 7% of Australia’s domestic carbon footprint, with a third of this pollution produced by Australian public hospitals. One third of energy used in Australian public hospitals is derived from burning fossil gas. The 2025 National Climate Risk Assessment identified climate change, caused and made worse by the burning of fossil gas, as likely posing a severe risk to Australia’s health and social system by 2050.
Dr Simon Judkins is an Emergency Physician and Director of Emergency at Echuca Hospital, one of the nine proposed pilot hospitals, and a member of AMA’s Public Health Committee. Dr Judkins provided emergency medical care in Mallacoota, Victoria during the Black Summer bushfires, seeing the health impacts of extreme weather events firsthand.
“Climate change is a public health emergency and hospitals and healthcare workers are on the frontline of it. Climate pollution from the burning of coal, oil and gas is directly driving the worsening of Australia’s deadliest natural hazard, heatwaves, which significantly impacts communities in regional and rural areas, seeing an increase in hospital presentations and admissions.
“Our hospitals have to operate in increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events. We also need to ensure that hospitals aren’t contributing to this worsening situation by relying on fossil fuels. Electrifying our hospitals would save nearly $60 million a year, but what about the cost if we don’t take this opportunity? What will the costs to our healthcare system be of more frequent and more severe extreme weather events that our hospital infrastructure is not equipped for?” said Dr Judkins.
The report found that electrifying Australia’s public hospitals would reduce hospital operational costs and protect hospitals’ value, and can prevent public hospitals from becoming stranded assets.
Catelyn Richards, Federal Assistant Secretary of the Australian Midwifery and Nursing Federation says “This proposed pilot will create public hospitals that are better equipped to lower their energy bills, strengthen their energy security and stay connected in extreme weather events, all while reducing our sector's emissions. It enables nurses, midwives and healthcare workers to keep doing what they do every day: protecting and caring for every person in Australia.”
The All-Electric Healthy Hospitals campaign seeks $1.5 million in funding from the Federal Government to invest in feasibility studies for a nine-hospital electrification pilot program. The nine hospitals proposed in the pilot cover different climates and metro, regional and remote areas across every state and territory.
‘All-Electric Healthy Hospitals: A Cost-Benefit Analysis’ Report Launch
WHEN: Press conference at 9.00am, Thursday 13 August, 2026
WHERE: Mural Hall, Parliament House, Canberra
WHO: Dr Monique Ryan MP, Member for Kooyong, Dr Sophie Scamps MP, Healthy Futures Co-Founder Dr Harry Jennens, Dr Simon Judkins and Catelyn Richards will speak to the media and take questions following a briefing to members of Parliament and health sector representatives.
In attendance will be representatives from the Australian Medical Association, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Royal Australasian Colleges of Surgeons, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Australian College of Emergency Medicine, the Australian Federation of Medical Women, Lung Foundation Australia, Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Climate and Health Alliance.
VISION OPPS: The above speakers will take questions from the media at 9.00am.
- ENDS -
For media enquiries please contact: Ursula Alquier on 0474 803 740 or [email protected]
Healthcare workers on the All-Electric Healthy Hospitals Pilot Program
Michelle Isles, CEO of the Climate and Health Alliance says:
“Electrifying Australia’s hospitals is a crucial step to reduce patient, health worker and community exposure to gas pollution that harms health and causes climate change. Our membership of 90 health organisations have signed on to getting off gas in favour of local, renewable powered electricity supply that will see our hospitals withstand the pressures of storms, floods and extreme heat”.
Dr Matthew Knox, Emergency Staff Specialist at Wyong Hospital Emergency Department, Deputy Director of ACEM and Chair, SEMCAN says:
“I'm delighted to support the launch of the All-Electric Healthy Hospitals Cost Savings Report. This report makes a compelling case for the Australian Government to invest in feasibility studies, helping health services better understand the financial, operational and health benefits of transitioning away from fossil fuels. Decarbonisation sometimes has an upfront cost, but this is insignificant compared to the future financial costs and poor health outcomes related to continued fossil fuel use.”
Dr Sophie Scamps MP - Member for Mackellar says:
“As a doctor, I know hospitals must put the health of patients first. The principle of ‘first do no harm’ is at the heart of medicine, yet hospitals powered by fossil fuels are contributing to pollution and climate change that harm the health of Australians. Electrifying our hospitals is a practical, achievable reform that will cut costs, improve energy security and ensure more resources can go where they belong: frontline healthcare.”
Dr Arnagretta Hunter, RACP Climate Change and Health Working Group member and cardiologist says:
“As a physician, I see the health and wellbeing impacts of climate change every day, as well as the growing pressure it places on our healthcare system. Electrifying Australia’s public hospitals is a practical and important step that will reduce emissions from gas use, improve public health, and help build a climate-resilient healthcare system. Australians rely on a sustainable healthcare system as climate risks and extreme weather events continue to increase. This change will help ensure doctors and healthcare workers can continue delivering high-quality care now and into the future.”
Dr Abby Foster, speech pathologist and health services researcher says:
"For those of us who work in healthcare, everything we do needs to be based on the best available evidence. We need to know that the care we provide will improve the life of the person sitting in front of us. Governments need to do the same when planning for the future health of our communities. The evidence for electrifying hospitals is clear: it will cut emissions, help us cope with the extreme weather that's not going away, and free up money we can put back into patient care. It's a no brainer."
Bob Wilson, National Leader Energy & Sustainability at Lucid Consulting and co-author of the report says:
“Hospitals will continue to invest in replacing ageing infrastructure over the coming years. The report identifies an opportunity to reduce energy costs, strengthen resilience and lower emissions across Australia’s public hospital network. We support feasibility studies in hospitals of different sizes and operating environments, helping asset operators make future investment decisions based on robust evidence and real-world outcomes.”
Contact details:
For media enquiries please contact: Ursula Alquier on 0474 803 740 or [email protected]