An electric tower crane has been installed at the Canberra Hospital – the first of two that will build the new Critical Services Building over the next couple of years.

The new Critical Services Building will be the biggest part of the hospital expansion – “a cornerstone of Canberra’s health services,” said Rachel Stephen-Smith, ACT Health Minister.

Two buildings have been demolished, and excavations have begun to dig ambulance bays and the basement, and to install piling for the building’s foundations. The second crane will arrive on the site within six weeks.

“This first tower crane is a symbol of the massive effort required to bring this hospital expansion to life,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

Canberrans can help “Name the Cranes” by voting on the shortlist of 10 suggestions, which will be published on the ACT Government’s YourSay website later this month. Winning names will be announced in April.

Ms Stephen-Smith hoped the Garran Primary School students’ “ringside seat” would inspire them (particularly girls) to work in the construction industry. The hospital expansion’s construction manager and the campus modernisation leader are both women.

Ms Stephen-Smith said the $64 million hospital expansion would transform healthcare services for generations of Canberrans – “a record investment in the future of our health system”. Construction would support about 500 jobs, helping to turbo-charge the Territory’s economic recovery from COVID-19, she stated.

The ACT Government says the hospital expansion will be finished by 2024. It was first announced in 2016, with a completion date of 2022.

“Canberra’s health system is in crisis,” said Leanne Castley, Shadow Minister for Health. “The hospital expansion has been plagued by delays and is two years’ overdue, we have the longest emergency department wait times in the country and a mother and son yesterday waited 11 hours for his scheduled surgery only to then be turned away.

“Canberra’s nurses and doctors are doing the best they can, but the government has run down our health system, and Canberrans are suffering because of it.”

Nor did ‘name a crane’ impress them.

“The Chief Minister and his government are more focussed on stunts than fixing a health system in crisis,” Ms Castley said.

“The Labor-Greens government insults Canberrans with its gimmicks while Canberrans languish on waiting lists and plead for better health care.”