The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) won the Net-Zero Emissions award at the National Banksia Sustainability Awards for their work in lowering emissions across the agency.

The ESA procured the southern hemisphere’s first electric fire truck and first battery-electric breathing apparatus support truck.

“Due to approximately 85 per cent of all ESA emissions coming from transport, ESA has largely focused on actions within the transport sector to best fight the worsening climate emergency,” Commissioner Wayne Phillips said. “As a result of our work, the ESA has successfully seen annual emissions fall significantly from 2019, and we hope for this to only improve as we continue our work in this space.”

ESA has working towards addressing the United Nations Sustainability Goals, and this award showcases the Agency as an industry leading, safe and sustainable, emergency service for the ACT community, Mick Gentleman, Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, said.

The ACT Government’s Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate was nominated for a Banksia award in the Healthy Planet, Healthy People category.

Canberra Liberals: Government spruiking undelivered infrastructure projects

The ACT Government has signed a $1.5 million two-year contract with Becscomm, a Sydney-based specialist stakeholder engagement and communication agency, for engagement and strategic communication services for ACT Health’s infrastructure projects, including the new northside hospital, the next phase of the Canberra Hospital Master Plan, and four new health centres. 

The government states that it engaged Becscomm to ensure consultation and co-design with the community, including diverse groups. Becscomm had extensive experience in delivering targeted communication and engagement programs, including for hospital projects in NSW, and would bring valuable lessons to the northside hospital project.

“This collaborative approach will ensure we have the local knowledge and understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges for these projects, the local knowledge and relationships with stakeholders and the broader community, mixed with years of experience in designing and constructing new health infrastructure,” a spokesperson said. “This contract will help grow the capacity of the internal ACT Health teams in delivering these projects into the future.”

The Canberra Liberals, however, criticised the contract as a “propaganda exercise” to “obscure its appalling record” on delivering health infrastructure.

Government infrastructure projects already had project control groups, design reference groups, and project teams; the health portfolio had 37 in-house communications and engagement staff; and the new Consumer Reference Group advised on health infrastructure projects, shadow health minister Leanne Castley, deputy opposition leader, said.

“Yet still the Government is spending up to $1.5 million of Canberra taxpayers’ money with Sydney consultants to create a sizzle about proposed infrastructure projects, while falling short on delivering actual sausages.”

The Canberra Hospital expansion had faced significant delays, Ms Castley claimed, resulting in downscaled projects such as the Critical Services Building instead of the $800 million tower block promised 12 years ago. The Spire Centre pledged in 2016 was cancelled in 2021. These delays led to the longest Emergency Department wait times in the country and thousands of residents waiting for surgery. Ms Castley was sceptical whether the promised $1 billion northside hospital would start construction on time (2025–26) or be operational by 2030–31. The 2023-24 ACT Budget revealed that completion dates for at least 20 projects had been pushed back since the previous budget cycle.

“The bottom line is, Labor just can’t be trusted to deliver health infrastructure and no amount of spin will change that,” Ms Castley said.

Inaugural board to protect rights for intersex people

The ACT’s board to protect the rights of intersex people met for the first time last week.

The Restricted Medical Treatment Assessment Board will approve treatment plans for restricted medical treatments for intersex people, where they cannot make medical treatment decisions for themselves, and where irreversible medical treatments are being considered.

Led by former National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell AM, the Restricted Medical Treatment Assessment Board was created under the Variation in Sex Characteristics (Restricted Medical Treatment) Act 2023. It has 13 members from across Australia.