Mater to cut more than 100 pathology jobs within two months
A shift to external providers at Brisbane and Springfield hospitals is expected to affect more than 400 employees over 12 to 18 months.
More than 100 Mater Pathology positions will be lost within two months under an outsourcing change announced on 2 November 2026. The move covers pathology services at Mater hospitals in Brisbane and Springfield.
Mater expects more than 400 employees to be affected during a transition lasting 12 to 18 months. That includes full-time, casual and part-time staff, with most of the remaining positions due to end in 2027.
A spokesperson said mounting costs had prompted the decision, with Medicare subsidies failing to keep up with financial pressures that had increased over the past decade.
Pathology Queensland and Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology are among the specialist providers that will take on the services. Mater's hospitals in Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and the Gold Coast already outsource pathology and will be unaffected.
The spokesperson said the model was used by private hospital operators around Australia and would enable Mater to direct more resources to patients' clinical care. They said the change did not reflect staff members' capability, professionalism or commitment.
