Yass Valley residents urged to sign petition against ACT Government’s Compulsory Acquisition of Calvary Hospital 

(Photo: Father Tony Pearce appeals over Youtube for signatures to the petition)

With a significant percentage of Yass residents receiving healthcare at Calvary Hospital, including pregnant women with no option to birth at Yass Hospital, the news of the ACT Government’s compulsory acquisition of the Catholic-run institution will undeniably have an effect on the Yass Valley. 

 

The plans to demolish current infrastructure and facilities at Calvary to build a new Northside government hospital and transition staff to Canberra Health Services (CHS) could leave Yass families faced with challenges and uncertainty as Canberra Hospital soaks up ACT capacity during the construction and transition process. This is not to mention families in both the Yass and Canberra regions who depend on Calvary to deliver a faith-based approach to healthcare. The decision comes less than a month after a government inquiry into abortion policy found the hospital “problematic.”

“This is quite shocking for Yass Valley mums because Calvary is the closest hospital to give birth in. It’s very unsettling going forward not knowing where Yass Valley women will be expected to give birth anticipating that Canberra Hospitals capacity will be under pressure from ACT women while any new North Canberra hospital is under construction,” said local mother and health advocate Mrs Jasmin Jones, who has been working for the last decade to provide better maternity services for Yass Valley.

(Photo above: Deputy Mayor Jasmin Jones speaks out as a private citizen. Pictured holding her youngest child Rosella who was born in Calvary Hospital)

Mrs Jones also recognises Calvary Hospital is many families’ healthcare choice not only because of the proximity to Yass, but also considering the faith-based care Calvary offers.

 

“I support the Calvary Hospital’s culture of life and I’m so disappointed with the ACT’s heavy handed compulsory acquisition,” she added.

“The hospital is an oasis of life amid a culture of death. But that light is about to be snuffed out with brute force,” said Mr Lyle Shelton on behalf of Australia’s emerging pro-life party Family First. He is concerned that extreme policies enacted by politicians in the ACT often become forerunners which embolden other state governments. 

 

“If it wasn’t for the Christian church, Australia would not have had a hospital system. Such is the disdain for the church that a brutal green-left government has pulled on the jackboots and moved in. This totalitarian action will send a chill up the spine of every pro-life hospital in the nation,” he said.

 

“Calvary is extremely disappointed in the ACT government’s unexpected and unilateral decision to introduce legislation that effectively dissolves our partnership on public health delivery in the Territory,” Calvary’s national chief executive Martin Bowles said, as reported by ABC.

 

“To date, Calvary has been an active participant in discussions with the ACT government, including being committed to operating the new hospital and we reject the chief minister’s position that Calvary’s proposal prevents the delivery of a publicly owned hospital that provides an accessible, accountable and sustainable health system in the territory.”

 

Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn Christopher Prowse shared his concern and disappointment with the Yass, Canberra, and surrounding communities.

 

“No convincing reasons to date have been offered for this draconian action by the ACT Government. No systemic issues of concern regarding Calvary’s health outcomes have been identified; to the contrary the Health Minister made a point of emphasising Calvary’s excellent care for patients,” he said.

 

“I am deeply troubled about this situation and its implications. My prayers and thoughts are immediately directed to the 1,800 workers of the hospital and their families. They must be worried about the ramifications of this decision for their future employment.”

 

“I am also concerned that this action, based on obsessive government control, would deprive future generations in Canberra of the choice of hospital care based on the ethos of our cherished Catholic faith. There is a rising fear, also, that this extraordinary and completely unnecessary government intervention could set the scene for future “acquisitions” of any faith-based health facility or, indeed, any faith-based enterprise including education or social welfare.”

 

To respond practically to the critical situation at Calvary, Archbishop Prowse has established the “Calvary Hospital Taskforce – Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, which will be led by Fr Tony Percy. The group has created an online petition at www.savecalvary.com.au for those opposing the takeover to respond before May 31 2023 when it is intended the legislation for acquisition becomes effective.

 

Opposition leader Peter Dutton spoke on radio station 2CC, which broadcasts across Canberra and surrounding regions, stating he was “just not aware of an action like it elsewhere in the country or, frankly, around the world, where a government has taken a decision based on their opposition to a religion to compulsorily acquire a hospital in these circumstances a facility that’s working well and in the greater public interest and good in a local community and just for ideological reasons.”

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott also stated his concerns, especially regarding the acquisition of a Catholic institution.

 

“What on earth is happening to our country when a perfectly well-run hospital can be nationalised at whim without discussion and without any real notice? Quite apart from being evidence of overbearing and arrogant government, this looks like yet another assault on the Church,” said Mr Abbott.

 

Acting Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson described the acquisition as “outrageous thuggery by the chief minister and health minister”.

 

“Calvary [is] rightly angry and the fact the government have decided to forcibly acquire the best-performing part of ACT Health is outrageous,” he said. 

 

Mr Hanson said the ACT government was disrespecting staff by mounting a hostile takeover and suspending normal processes, saying some had contacted him describing scenes of distress and tears at Calvary.

 

“You are disrespecting the staff, and it is egregious that you are hiding behind those very same staff who are in tears,” he said.

 

ABC reported that Health minister Ms Rachel Stephen-Smith said she welcomed these staff to CHS, while “recognising the need to respect the hospital’s distinct culture and values”.

 

“We know this will be a stressful time for Calvary staff and we are committed to supporting them through this transition and providing as much certainty as possible,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

 

“The vast majority of staff will continue doing the jobs they do today with their current teams.”

 

Ms Stephen-Smith also said at a media conference it was “no secret” the government and Calvary had had a “strained” relationship over the years, but said the takeover was not a product of that.