David Pocock: Canberrans need better healthcare

Independent Senator David Pocock has slammed the ACT’s healthcare system as unfair and unaffordable, and promised to fix the system.

“I will not accept the status quo, it is not good enough,” Senator Pocock said. “I want to work with whoever forms government to push solutions tailored to the ACT’s specific needs that will make a real difference for Canberrans’ experience of our healthcare system.”

Canberrans pay more for healthcare than any other Australians, Senator Pocock said. A survey of 1,200 Canberrans ranked healthcare as the ACT’s second-biggest concern after cost-of-living. The ACT has the country’s lowest GP bulk billing rate (52.8 per cent vs 77.5 per cent) and highest out-of-pocket costs ($52.15 vs $46.31 nationally), and many Canberrans travel interstate for treatment.

Senator Pocock believes that major parties’ national healthcare policies — such as Labor’s $8.5 billion bulk-billing incentive — would not work in the ACT, where GPs face higher staffing and insurance costs, or overlook the ACT entirely in allocations.

Senator Pocock is calling for a Medicare reform that would change Canberra’s classification to increase rebates and reduce gap fees; fund longer GP consultations for patients with complex needs; attract and retain health workers; and secure the ACT’s fair share of hospital funding (currently below the 45 per cent benchmark).

Other promises include more affordable dental care, clearer pricing for private specialists, better endometriosis care, shorter waiting times for home care packages, and saving the Burrangiri Respite Centre.

Isabel Mudford, Greens candidate for Canberra, said the Greens had led the national healthcare debate and welcomed other parties adopting parts of their platform. The Greens’ plan included free GP visits for everyone, support for GPs to bulk bill, longer GP appointments, more Commonwealth funding for public hospitals, and universal dental treatment through Medicare.

Greens promise $800 per child for public schools

ACT families are paying more for public education than anywhere else in Australia — and the ACT Greens want to change that.

Candidate Isabel Mudford said that public school costs in Canberra have risen 53 per cent in two years and by 31 per cent over the last year, the worst increase nationally — and that Labor and the Liberals’ shifting costs onto families risks excluding poorer children from school.

“We’re in a cost-of-living crisis, but families in Canberra are being forced to fork out more and more to support their kids’ supposedly free public education,” Ms Mudford said.

“Australia already has one of the most unequal and segregated school systems in the OECD — we’ve got to close the gap between public and private schools, but this data shows we’re heading in the wrong direction.”

The Greens promise to make public education cheaper. Their cost-of-living package would give families $800 per student per year, give public schools an extra $2.4 billion, and abolish public school fees and charges. As a result, Ms Mudford said, Canberra families with children would be almost $2,500 better off.

An ACT Government spokesperson said that public education was free for all students and that financial contributions from families were voluntary. ACT public schools help families to pay for backpacks, school uniforms, school formals and stationery. The ACT Government gives every senior secondary student a free Chromebook; families who need it free Wi-Fi; and primary school students free camp. It is piloting a free meals in schools program and its future of education equity fund provides $450 for primary, $500 for high school and $750 for college students.

“The ACT Government is committed to ensuring that every child has the same equal chance to great education regardless of their backgrounds or financial circumstances,” a spokesperson said.

The Canberra Liberals said that a future Coalition Government would maintain all school funding agreements with states and territories. Under the previous Coalition government, annual school funding nearly doubled (from $13 billion in 2013 to $25.3 billion in 2022); the largest per-student funding growth occurred in government schools (58.4 per cent per student in real terms).

They claimed that a Labor-Greens-Teals minority government could jeopardise school choice for families. The Greens historically opposed funding for independent and faith-based schools; intend to abolish the Choice and Affordability Fund and describe non-government schools as a “leech on public schools”; and are willing to renegotiate school funding.

The Greens’ proposed demands include $10 billion to remove public school fees and provide cost-of-living relief only to public school families and $2.7 billion to upgrade public school infrastructure, traditionally funded by state and territory governments.

Gambling reform: Club diversification fund paused for two years

The ACT Government will pause for two years a fund that helped clubs reduce their reliance on gaming revenue while an independent inquiry examines the sector’s future.

The Diversification and Sustainability Support Fund, created in 2019, was intended to help clubs develop non-gaming business models. Under legislation introduced today, both payments into and out of the fund will be suspended.

Dr Marisa Paterson MLA, minister for gaming reform, said suspending the fund was “a proactive step” to explore how to help clubs diversify. The government, she said, was committed to minimising gambling harm but also recognised that clubs were social venues for many Canberrans.

ClubsACT welcomed the move. CEO Craig Shannon said the fund scheme was “conceptually flawed” because it required clubs to surrender their money to government and then reapply for it for projects.

“We don’t believe the fund ever achieved its real aspirations,” Mr Shannon said. “The grant amounts were never sufficient to allow significant investments in diversification projects. All the key stakeholders acknowledged these concerns in the last term of the Assembly.”

The Inquiry into the Future of the Club Sector will advise government on a transition plan, including the economic and social of clubs and how to support sustainable revenue models. Mr Shannon said the inquiry — which the industry had advocated — was a chance to base future policy on “clear and unambiguous facts”.

“Canberra cannot afford to lose its Club industry,” Mr Shannon said.

The legislation would also change the Gambling and Racing Control Act 1999, allowing the Gambling and Racing Commission to share more information with complainants about investigations.

The most recent funding round awarded $450,000: $250,000 to the Belconnen Soccer Club for renovations, and $200,000 to the Canberra Tradesman’s Union Club for a development project.

Molonglo Police Station — Liberals call betrayal

The Canberra Liberals claim the ACT Government has walked away from its election promise to build a police station in Molonglo by 2026 — and the community is paying the price.

Ed Cocks MLA cited crime rates in Weston Creek and the Molonglo Valley, one of the fastest-growing regions in the ACT, that are higher than the ACT average, and said residents rely on the Woden police station, a quarter of an hour away.

Labor promised last year to build the Molonglo station by the end of 2026, while the Liberals have called for a station since 2019.

“This is a blatant betrayal of the people of Molonglo,” Mr Cocks said. “Labor promised a police station before the election. Everyone thought that’s what we would get. Now that the votes are counted, they won’t even commit to delivering it this decade.”

Police minister Dr Paterson amended the motion, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the station, which depends on future land release. The 2023-24 budget allocated $3.823 million over two years for a comprehensive feasibility study and business case for a new ACT Policing Headquarters and a City Police Station and to assess policing infrastructure needs in Woden and Molonglo. Dr Paterson said this work was progressing as a priority.

Dr Paterson pointed to improved police performance, noting that officers now respond on average in 7 ½ minutes, that offence reports to police have decreased over the past year and decade, and that Molonglo is also served by City and Belconnen.

However, her amendment removes a firm deadline for the police station; instead, the government will report on the Molonglo police station’s progress in October.

Mr Cocks claimed that the government had shelved the promise and shown no urgency to address local concerns about community safety. Dr Paterson said Canberra was one of the safest cities in Australia, and accused the Canberra Liberals of undermining public trust in the police.

Shadow police minister Deborah Morris MLA called for anti-consorting laws to combat outlaw motorcycle gang activity in Canberra. Because the ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia without such laws, police believe makes it easier for gangs to meet here; this puts strain on police: ACT Policing recently spent nearly $410,000 monitoring an eight-day gathering of the clans. Police chiefs believe anti-consorting laws would prevent crime.

Attorney-General Tara Cheyne MLA moved and passed an amendment to omit the clause calling for the introduction of anti-consorting laws.

Dr Paterson said the ACT government was concerned such laws would impact civil liberties and human rights: they could criminalise social relationships without evidence of criminal activity, and disproportionately target vulnerable groups. Instead of anti-consorting laws, the ACT’s approach is to prosecute criminal behaviour; share intelligence with law enforcement in other jurisdictions; and target gangs and organised crime.

ACT Government rushes to save Brindabella Christian College

Brindabella Christian College entered voluntary administration last month, and administrators Deloitte say selling the school is the only way to keep it open.

The ACT Government has introduced urgent legislation to allow the school to be sold without triggering a 60-day consultation period. Without changing the Education Act 2004, education minister Yvette Berry MLA said, the school would likely close.

This amendment would “give the best chance of continuity for students, staff, families and the community,” Ms Berry said.

Debate was adjourned.

Review of the Charter of Rights for Victims of Crime

The ACT Government has opened public consultation on its 2021 Charter of Rights for Victims of Crime, described at the time as the most comprehensive in Australia.

Human rights minister Tara Cheyne MLA said the review would assess whether the Charter met community expectations.

Submissions are open until 20 June. For more information, visit the YourSay Conversations website.