03/06/2026
We love and are so grateful for LifeFlight! With Love Chappy Todd
How Lucky Are We?
Our Free Ambulance and LifeFlight Service Is Something Special
Stories like the recent 13-hour rescue of an injured fisherman off the Central Queensland Coast are a reminder of just how fortunate we are to live in Queensland.
When a fisho in his 60s broke his leg more than 200 kilometres out at sea, a Bundy LifeFlight crew headed out. Pilot Alex Dorr described the condition as the most challenging of his career. Rough seas, strong winds and fuel limits were all a factor, as the crew travelled almost 1,000 kilometres over 13 hours to ensure one Queenslander made it to hospital.
These stories are remarkable, and the dedication and professionalism of the crews involved is second to none. But perhaps we don’t stop to appreciate something equally remarkable, the fact that the patient didn’t have to worry about receiving a bill for the rescue.
In Queensland, permanent residents receive free ambulance treatment and transport through the Queensland Ambulance Service. Even more impressive is that this coverage extends to emergency aeromedical retrieval services such as LifeFlight, which works alongside QAS to provide world-class care to people in some of the most remote parts of our state.
And that doesn’t just apply here at home. Queensland residents are covered for medically necessary ambulance treatment right across Australia. Whether you’re in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth, you’re covered.
That level of service is something many in other states can only envy.
In contrast, New South Wales ambulance services are not covered by Medicare and patients are charged a call-out fee and distance travelled. Air ambulance and helicopter services can cost thousands of dollars, with maximum charges for residents reaching more than $7,600. In South Australia, an emergency ambulance call-out costs more than $1,200 before distance charges are added. Even in the ACT, an emergency ambulance trip costs over $1,100. Many Australians rely on private health insurance or ambulance memberships to avoid receiving hefty bills.
Meanwhile, Queenslanders can call triple zero in an emergency without having to weigh up the financial consequences.
Queensland is a vast state. Communities are separated by hundreds of kilometres. Farmers, fishermen, miners, tourists and everyday families often live and work far from major hospitals. Services like LifeFlight bridge those distances and deliver critical care that can mean the difference between life and death.
Since its beginnings more than four decades ago, LifeFlight has become one of Australia’s leading aeromedical organisations. Its crews operate around the clock, often in conditions that most people would consider impossible. From remote cattle stations and highways to fishing boats hundreds of kilometres offshore, they go wherever they are needed.
The recent rescue off the Capricorn Coast is just one example. Every day, Queenslanders benefit from the extraordinary partnership between LifeFlight and the Queensland Ambulance Service.
It’s easy to take these things for granted until the day you or someone you love needs them.
So while we often hear plenty about what governments get wrong, this is one thing Queensland has unquestionably got right.
Free ambulances. World-class aeromedical rescue. Highly skilled paramedics and crews willing to fly into dangerous conditions to help complete strangers.
It really is great to be a Queenslander.
