The South Tuggeranong Health Centre is still under construction — despite it being promised before the 2020 election, and the government saying in 2024 it would be finished by the end of this year.
The government stated today that Tuggeranong residents would soon have “better access to quality health care closer to home” when the centre opens in Conder next year.
In May 2024, health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said construction would start in the second half of 2024 and be completed by the end of 2025.
Construction began in April — several months later than originally planned. Concrete foundations are complete, and structural framing is underway, the government says. External cladding, internal fit-out, and the installation of external services will follow.
“Why aren’t the doors open?” opposition leader Leanne Castley MLA said. “The concrete has been poured, yet we’re still waiting for the commitment that was made years ago. Tuggeranong deserves action, not just press releases. It’s time for the government to deliver on its promises.”
When complete, the centre will have 11 consultation rooms and host services including community paediatrics, pathology collection, diabetes clinics, falls prevention, group exercise and education programs, community nursing, and virtual care.
Local Labor MLA Taimus Werner-Gibbings said: “The centre will be a game-changer for people in and around Lanyon Valley who, like me, are managing chronic conditions. We will no longer have to travel across town to get the quality public health care we need and deserve.”
The Conder project is one of four new community health centres the government will roll out across the ACT; the others are in the Inner South, North Gungahlin and West Belconnen. A centre in Molonglo opened in 2022. All were promised in 2020.
The Inner South Health Centre is proposed for Griffith; public consultation is open on a draft amendment until 19 November. The North Gungahlin Health Centre, in Casey, is being designed. The government is reviewing sites for the West Belconnen Health Centre.
“The ACT Government is committed to improving access to health services for all Canberrans, no matter where they live,” Ms Stephen-Smith said. “The four new health centres the ACT Government will deliver will also help to take pressure off our hospitals so they can provide quality care in a timely manner for people who need it the most.”
The government has been asked for comment.
