Deputy Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Health Leanne Castley has slammed the need for the ACT Labor-Greens government to spend up to $1.5 million on engagement and strategic communications consultants to improve ‘stakeholders’ and the community’s understanding of the health infrastructure.’

Ms Castley said this is essentially a propaganda exercise, embarked on by the Labor-Greens government in the lead up to the ACT election in October, to try and obscure the government’s appalling record on delivering health infrastructure.

“Infrastructure projects already have project control groups, design reference groups and project teams,” Ms Castley said.

“There are 37 in-house communications and engagement staff in the health portfolio. Then there is the new Consumer Reference Group providing input into all health infrastructure projects.

“Yet still the Government is spending up to $1.5 million of Canberra taxpayers’ money with Sydney consultants to create a sizzle about proposed infrastructure projects, while falling short on delivering actual sausages.”

Or in the words of the contract, to “plan and deliver… an engagement activation focused on educating Canberrans on Health Infrastructure and key projects, specifically the Northside Hospital Project.”

Ms Castley said the government’s record on health infrastructure is woeful.

“Take the Canberra Hospital expansion for example, 12 years after Labor promised a new $800 million tower block, we are finally getting a downscaled Critical Services Building. In the interim Labor’s 2016 Spire Centre pledge went nowhere for 4 years before being called in, in 2021.

"This has led to the longest Emergency Department wait times in the country and thousands of Canberrans languishing on surgery waiting lists."

Ms Castley said that, with such a woeful record, she was sceptical about whether the promised $1 billion northside hospital would commence construction in 2025-26 or be operational by 2030-31.

“Coming up to another election, we have another pie in the sky hospital promise from Labor. That’s why they think they need to spend $1.5 million on communications consultants.

“The 2023-24 ACT Budget showed estimated completion dates for at least 20 projects delayed since the last budget.

“The bottom line is, Labor just can’t be trusted to deliver health infrastructure and no amount of spin will change that,” Ms Castley concluded.