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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Lucy Bladen

Liberals commit to major health project

Doctors would receive more training and education time if the Canberra Liberals are elected with the party promising changes to the enterprise bargaining agreement.

The Liberals have also committed to building the new northside hospital being pursued by the current government with opposition health spokeswoman Leanne Castley saying they would continue the design work already under way.

The policies were included in the party's health workers and infrastructure election package as internal party issues continued to overshadow their campaign.

The Liberals say they will increase training and education time for registrars and senior registrars to five hours a week and this would be included in the medical officers enterprise bargaining agreement.

"We are making sure that we can carve out five hours a week of training time," Ms Castley said.

"We know that there have been a number of units, including obstetrics and gynaecology, the fetal medicine unit, plastics, children of risk units have all had accreditation concerns and that's because our junior doctors need the training."

Doctors have been battling with the government during negotiations over recent months.

Nearly 300 public hospital doctors are taking industrial action by refusing to do tasks such as not answering calls outside rostered hours and certain administrative duties.

Unions have been negotiating with the government over better pay deals for health workers. Doctors are undertaking the action because they were unhappy with the pay rise offered by the government.

Enterprise bargaining negotiations with doctors will continue once the new government is elected.

Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee and deputy opposition leader Leanne Castley announcing the party's health policies. Picture by Karleen Minney

Ms Castley said the party would pay doctors what they are owed but she would not commit on what pay rise a Liberal government would offer.

"Whatever else needs to be looked at is something that we'll do in government but I think the kicker here is that I will give a commitment that we'll pay them what they're due, what they are owed and not force them into a situation where they have to take industrial action against their own government," she said.

The party has also promised to give $150,000 to Drs4Drs, which is a support service where doctors help each other.

The Liberals have also confirmed their support for a new northside hospital to be located on the site of the existing Bruce hospital. Ms Castley said the party could do this quicker than Labor as they were not building the light rail to Woden.

"We would absolutely want to start construction as soon as we can. We need a bigger facility there so we need to do everything we can to get it off the ground," she said.

The party reaffirmed their commitment to holding a royal commission into the ACT's health system with Ms Castley saying it is something she would like to happen within the first year.

The Liberals have also promised to continue the implementation of nurse-to-patient ratios. The party did not make a commitment to ratios in the last campaign.

The party has also promised a new multi-storey carpark at the Canberra Hospital.

In a separate announcement, the Liberals have promised to appoint disability liaison officers at Canberra hospital and provide an extra $875,000 to disability sector organisations over the next four years.

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