A Queensland parliamentary petition calling for free or heavily subsidised parking for public hospital staff has put the cost of getting to work under the spotlight, with The Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside among the facilities named in the campaign.
Read: The Prince Charles Hospital Expansion Moves Ahead in Chermside
Petition No. 4633-26, titled Abolish paid parking fees for Queensland Public Hospital healthcare staff, raises concerns about the financial strain and safety risks associated with workplace parking fees for doctors, registrars, nurses, paramedics, and allied health workers.
The petition stated that healthcare workers at hospitals across Queensland, including The Prince Charles Hospital, can be required to pay up to $1,700 a year to park at work. It argues the expense places an unreasonable financial burden on essential workers during the cost-of-living crisis.
The issue has a direct connection to Chermside. Parking at The Prince Charles Hospital costs $13 a day, or $65 for a working week, according to figures published by the Together union in May. The same figures stated that visitors at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital pay $48 for more than three hours.
For staff who regularly drive to The Prince Charles Hospital, that daily charge represents an ongoing out-of-pocket expense. The petition’s broader argument is that hospital workers should not have to absorb substantial parking costs simply as a condition of attending their workplace.
Safety concerns for shift workers
The financial argument is only part of the campaign. Petitioners have also raised concerns about the safety of staff working shifts that begin early or finish late at night. The petition argued that public transport is not always a viable or safe alternative for workers finishing after services have ceased.
Campaigners have separately claimed that some hospital employees park further away to avoid parking fees before walking back to their cars after late or overnight shifts. Those claims form part of the campaign for changes to hospital parking arrangements and should not be taken as evidence that every worker at The Prince Charles Hospital faces the same circumstances.
The issue has already been raised outside the hospital itself. On May 13, health workers held a lunchtime rally near Rode Road in Chermside, close to The Prince Charles Hospital, calling for an end to hospital parking fees. The Together union said workers and patients were dealing with rising costs for groceries, fuel and housing while also being charged to park at hospital sites.
The petition is asking Queensland Parliament to review parking policies across public hospitals, reverse recent increases in staff parking fees and consider free or heavily subsidised parking for frontline employees.
For Chermside hospital workers, however, the debate is more immediate. A $13 daily parking charge may look modest in isolation, but repeated across regular shifts it becomes another cost attached to simply getting to work.
Read: What the Hospital Rescue Plan Means for Prince Charles Hospital
The petition remains open until October 26, giving Queensland residents more time to add their names before it proceeds through the parliamentary petition process.
The debate now centres on whether parking at public hospitals should remain an expense carried by healthcare workers, or whether staff providing essential services should receive greater financial relief.
Published 12-August-2026
