Acting Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson will today move a motion in the Legislative Assembly calling on the Chief Minister to establish a Royal Commission to investigate the failures, current needs, and future requirements of the ACT health system.

Last week the Canberra Liberals called for a Royal Commission into the broken ACT health system that was welcomed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) ACT Branch also open to looking at the details.

Mr Hanson said the initial response from the Health Minister to immediately reject a Royal Commission was appalling and shows the Labor-Greens government are more interested in playing politics than fixing the health system.

“If the Health Minister is aware of all the problems and is fixing them, why does the ACT continually have the worst health system in the country,” Mr Hanson said.

“The Canberra Liberals are contacted daily by frustrated doctors, nurses and patients outlining the many problems that are not being addressed by the Minister with the AMA and ANMF also calling for more to be done.

“It is not good enough for the ACT to have the longest emergency department wait times in the country, more than 6000 patients overdue for an endoscopy, tens of thousands of Canberrans overdue for surgery, issues with the ICU and a poor workplace culture.”

The motion highlights the terms of reference should include but not be limited to, staffing shortages, cultural problems, poor results across key performance indicators, waiting times, management and outcomes in the mental health system, governance, infrastructure, and funding shortfalls.

“Whilst the Health Minister has indicated she has no interest in an independent inquiry into our failing health system it is now time for the ACT Greens to stand up for Canberrans, say enough is enough and back our calls for a Royal Commission,” Mr Hanson concluded.