18 May 2024
ACT Labor commits to hiring 800 healthcare workers
ACT Labor is making the biggest investments in free public healthcare in Territory history. We are opening the expanded Canberra Hospital, building a new northside hospital and delivering more services in our Walk-in Centres.
At the same time, we are investing in our public health workforce – recruiting more staff, providing more support for students and investing in nurse and midwife to patient ratios.
To make sure that Canberrans get the right care, at the right place and at the right time – we will hire 800 more healthcare workers.
We will hire more nurses, doctors, specialists, midwives, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals to provide free healthcare right across Canberra.
And we know that our health workforce goes beyond just health professionals. That’s why, as part of our plan for better healthcare, ACT Labor will also hire more support staff in our health network. This includes admin workers, wards people, and allied health assistants who are all vital to delivering free public healthcare in Canberra.
From specialist appointments to mental health services – this commitment will mean better care for every Canberran, no matter where they live.
In 2020, ACT Labor committed to hiring 400 more nurses, midwives, doctors and allied health professionals.
Over this term of Government, we’ve funded more than 580 additional full-time equivalent healthcare worker jobs across these professions.
We are investing in more state-of-the-art health facilities to provide our workforce with access to the best equipment, technology, and training so they can provide world-class care to our community.
It’s part of ACT Labor’s practical, progressive and proven plan for Canberra.
Quotes attributable to ACT Labor leader and Chief Minister Andrew Barr:
As Canberra’s population nears half a million people, we are getting on with the job of building our city’s future and growing our public health services.
We know that Canberrans want to see more free public healthcare, closer to home. That’s why we are continuing to invest in better health facilities right across the city.
But, our hospitals and walk-in centres are only as good as the people working in them. And that’s why our first commitment of the 2024 election campaign is to hire the workers our future healthcare system will need.
Because only Labor invests in our healthcare system. And only Labor looks after those who work in it, and the Canberrans who rely on it.
Quotes attributable to ACT Labor health spokesperson and Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith:
Health workers are our public health system’s greatest asset.
As Health Minister, I’ve met and listened to hundreds of dedicated doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and support staff.
These skilled workers are committed to providing the best possible care to Canberrans.
ACT Labor is helping them do that by hiring more staff to take the pressure off, reducing barriers to collaboration and making sure they have the infrastructure and equipment they need.
We are building bigger and better public hospitals, delivering new health centres, and expanding services in our nurse-led Walk-in Centres. Because ACT Labor will always invest in public health services for you and your family.
Statement ends
Media contact:
Kaarin Dynon 0422 772 215 [email protected]
