Tasmanians are waiting longer for ambulances than people in any other state or territory, with the average response time ballooning to more than half an hour.

The Northern Territory at 25 minutes had the second longest wait for an ambulance during code one emergencies in 2016/17, according to a Productivity Commission report released on Tuesday,

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The report attributes Tasmania's wait time rise from 26 minutes in 2015/16 to 31 minutes in 2016-17 to increased demand and the implementation of new computer-aided dispatch technology.

Ambulances in the ACT had the quickest response time, at less than 15 minutes, while Western Australia and Queensland were the next best on a state-wide basis.

Victoria was ranked fifth despite improving for a fourth-straight year, slightly behind South Australia, where response times were almost 19 minutes.
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NSW was third-slowest at 23 minutes.

Darwin edged out Hobart for the slowest response time in a capital city, while Sydneysiders waited a little more than 20 minutes for an ambulance, the third-longest across the country.

Canberra had the shortest wait time, followed by Perth and Brisbane.

Patient satisfaction was high with 97 per cent of Australians "very satisfied or satisfied" with ambulance services they received in the last 12 months, a Council of Ambulance Authorities survey showed.

Nationally, $129.72 per person was spent on ambulance services in 2016/17.

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