Early contractor chosen for northside hospital
Construction company Multiplex will help the ACT Government plan its new northside hospital.
The hospital โ which the government says will be the largest health infrastructure project in the ACT โ is expected to cost $1 billion and to open in 2030.
The site chosen was controversial: that of the former Calvary Public Hospital, which the government forcibly acquired two years ago. The new hospital is promised to double the number of beds and to offer more services than Calvary did.
The government went to tender last year, and awarded the Very Early Contractor Involvement contract to Multiplex to advise them on planning and designing infrastructure for the new hospital. The government intends construction to begin before 2028.
โVery early contractor involvement means we are bringing the delivery team together with the planning and design experts on the ground sooner to frame a vision for innovation, sustainability and exceptional clinical service delivery,โ health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.
Multiplex also built the University of Canberra Public Hospital in 2017 and Canberra Hospitalโs Critical Service Building last year.
North Canberra Hospital will continue to deliver services.
The next phase of community consultation is expected mid-year.
Government funding for sports clubs
More than 30 clubs have received funding through a $3.2 million ACT government scheme that helps local sport and community groups to improve or build facilities.
The major recipients of the 2025 Sport and Recreation Investment Scheme are:
- ACT Netball: Remove and replace stadium roof: $635,249
- Belconnen Netball Association: new toilets and changeroom: $571,000
- Basketball ACT: upgrade Belconnen Stadium change room: $181,457; volunteer development: $125,000. Total: $306,457.
- Canberra Southern Cross Club: upgrade stadium bathroom and fan: $246,000
- ACT Water Ski Association: upgrade clubhouse kitchen and bathrooms: $190,000
- Cricket ACT: Operation Heart Beat: $125,000
- Tennis ACT: Game on!: $125,000
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary Scholarships
Six Year 11 and 12 Indigenous students have received Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary Scholarship Awards from the ACT Government:
- Cooper-Lea Buffet
- Jindima Gilbert-Misko
- Darcie Johns
- Isaac Laverty
- Monique Masciulli
- Chloe Taylor
The program financially supports students in their last years of secondary school so they can finish Year 12 and take part in leadership and career opportunities.
Education minister Yvette Berry congratulated the students โ in almost the exact words she used last year:
2025 press release:
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Yvette Berry said all of the successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary Scholarship recipients had demonstrated determination and great capacity to meet the challenges of secondary studies in their application process.
โI extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you and have no doubt exciting things await you for the remainder of your senior secondary studies and beyond. I look forward to hearing about your future pursuits and successes,โ Minister Berry said.
โI also want congratulate parents, mentors, teachers and other members of your communities who have given time, effort, and care to guide and encourage you all.โ
โAll of the successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary Scholarship recipients have demonstrated determination and great capacity to meet the challenges of secondary studies in their application process,โ Minister for Education and Youth Affairs Yvette Berry said.
โI have no doubt exciting things await you for the remainder of your senior secondary studies and beyond and I look forward to hearing about your future pursuits and successes.
โI also want congratulate parents, mentors, teachers and other members of your communities who have given time, effort, and care to guide and encourage you all.โ
*
Each year, the ACT Government delivers the program โ and so, it seems, does the minister her speech.
