As we build up to the 2024 ACT election in October, Marisa Paterson MLA and Jeremy Hanson CSC, MLA will write a column each week covering different topics. This is the third instalment.

Marisa Paterson

As a mum of three kids, I have spent my fair share of time visiting our amazing walk-in centres, hospital and emergency department for various ailments and emergencies over the years. I have experienced first-hand the high-level of professionalism and expertise of Canberra’s health workers.

An ACT Labor Government is strongly committed to investing in continuous improvement of our health system. The most recent data shows that we have reduced emergency department wait times by nearly half since the pandemic – with 63 per cent of patients seen on time, with a median wait time of 26 minutes. Key to reducing hospital wait times is the strong investment in our walk-in centres this term. Improvements to our system are set to continue with the opening of the new Canberra Hospital Critical Services Building this month. The new building will have more operating theatres, a new ICU, more treatment spaces, inpatient wards, and a dedicated paediatric area in the ED.

In 2020, we made a commitment to hire 400 healthcare workers, and we’ve delivered – with more than 580 additional places funded. This election, we have a more ambitious goal, ACT Labor will hire an additional 800 healthcare workers to cater for our growing population and diverse healthcare needs.  

To support these new healthcare workers, we’re building state-of-the-art health facilities across Canberra. Canberra Hospital is the epicentre of health care in our city and will become even more important with the opening of the expansion project. Central to our health platform is a promise to Canberrans to build the new Northside Hospital – representing an investment of more than $1 billion, it will be the largest single health infrastructure project to be delivered in the Territory’s history.

ACT Labor has always been the party to establish and support our walk-in centres. We will open more health centres in South Tuggeranong, the Inner South, North Gungahlin, and West Belconnen if re-elected.

ACT Labor is the only party in the Territory with an unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality, efficient, and free public health services for all Canberrans.

Jeremy Hanson

In my very first year in the Legislative Assembly, one of the red-hot issues was Labor’s decision to close 23 public schools across Canberra. That process was overseen by the current Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.

Not only did this devastate communities across Canberra, but it utterly failed to achieve what it claimed, delivering better outcomes for Canberra students.

In 2021, I commissioned an expert review on education outcomes in the ACT, published in the report titled “Bringing out the best in every child.”

While recognising the hard work of ACT teachers, it showed our children had nonetheless fallen behind the rest of the country in critical education milestones, especially literacy, numeracy, and science.

At the time, the government was disgracefully dismissive, but time told the truth.

A damning Auditor-General’s report showed the government “did not have an informed understanding” of the problems and the “performance management process was not well-implemented.”

Deeply concerning trends were consistently reported by many highly regarded research institutions in the ACT, nationally and internationally.

Late last year, Equity Economics published a report that exposed that one in three students were below the national standard for reading.

In fact, it showed that literacy levels are worse today than 20 years ago.

I was particularly concerned that the literacy gap for disadvantaged students was increasing, meaning those who needed the most support were actually falling further behind, rather than catching up.

I worked with literacy groups, teachers, and the education union to maintain pressure.

I repeatedly called for an urgent inquiry into literacy. Finally, the Labor Government relented and conducted the review. 

That review called for significant changes. These include phonics and numeracy checks for all Year 1 students, consistent assessments that go into a central data system, explicit instruction rather than ‘student-led’ learning, and that all schools adopt a “culture of high expectations that prioritises learning”.

It has been quite a journey, and there is much more to be done.

In my first year in politics, it was Andrew Barr closing schools. This year, it is the Canberra Liberals leading the way on education reform.