Written by Andrew Braddock, ACT Greens MLA for Yerrabi. 

Health is one of the most important services a government can provide. Funding a public health system is the most obvious example of how and why we pool our resources as a community to create something we could never match on our own. 

But not all investment in health is equal. In the ACT, there is always a lot of talk about the emergency department. Long wait times – among the longest in the country – have shaken the confidence of Canberrans in our health system. But what about the many missing pieces that led you to try the emergency department in the first place? 

Preventative health isn’t just about eating well and exercising. It’s about having access to people and services who can help you stay at your most healthy and well, whatever that looks like for you. 

The ACT Greens are putting a strong emphasis on preventative health at this election, not just to take pressure off the ED or make the health system more sustainable, but to improve the everyday lives of people in this city. 

We’ve announced plans to set up bulk-billing GP clinics, where the government takes care of the administration so doctors can focus on seeing patients for free. It’s not a walk-in clinic; it’s a practice where you can get continuity of care from a doctor you’ll build a relationship with, to help best manage your health and wellbeing over the long term. The first four of these clinics, two in the north of Canberra and two in the south, will together provide 160,000 free appointments each year.

Likewise, there’s a lot more we can do to support mental health across the community. You might have heard of Safe Haven in Belconnen – it provides free walk-in mental health support, and the Greens want to open one in every town centre. We’ve announced plans for new specialised services for eating disorders, perinatal mental health and youth mental health, all to support better early intervention.

Our Centre for Neurodivergence will provide a free diagnosis pathway and support without a diagnosis for neurodivergent people, their parents, colleagues and friends. Only the Greens are committing to a truly freestanding birth centre in Canberra, away from a hospital campus.

Of course, there will always be health emergencies and people who need to go to the emergency department. At those times, the last thing you need is a surprise ambulance bill of close to $1,000. The Greens would make emergency ambulance transportation free, so you or your loved ones don’t have to deal with bill shock after some of the worst days of your lives.  The long and the short is: We’re meant to have free healthcare in Australia, but that’s far from the reality. We need to restore free healthcare to support people earlier in their health journeys, so everyone can live a healthy and fulfilling life in Canberra.