1 July 2023

Lack of Liberal voice on Calvary exposes an echoing policy void in the Opposition

| Genevieve Jacobs
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Jeremy Hanson and Leanne Castley

Canberra Liberals acting leader Jeremy Hanson and shadow health minister Leanne Castley. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.

The forced acquisition of Calvary Public and the subsequent takeover of Clare Holland House have made national news, as much for the threat they pose to business in the Territory as the supposed clash with reproductive rights and the introduction of voluntary assisted dying legislation in the near future.

Protestors mushroomed at the Assembly and the issue has popped up everywhere from the pages of The Australian to the ABC’s 7.30, as Calvary Health deploys a legal arsenal to defend its rights and the government sharpens its legislative tools.

One voice has been mostly absent, conspicuous not quite by its silence but more by its low impact and light touch. Where are the Canberra Liberals on this highly divisive issue?

There’s been some reaction in the Legislative Assembly and the matter was mentioned by Jeremy Hanson in his budget reply speech.

The Liberals have called the acquisition “disgraceful” and “appalling”, and Canberra Liberals MLA Elizabeth Kikkert – who also heads up the Standing Committee into Public Accounts – has chastised her committee colleagues for choosing not to hold any investigative processes into the enabling bill.

READ ALSO ‘Missed opportunities’: Promises for reform outlined in Liberals’ budget reply, but light rail’s gotta go

But other than that, it’s been fairly low key.

The Liberals’ focus has been on dragging up the costs of light rail Stage 2b again and being told, again, that it would make no sense to reveal the number while negotiations for the project are ongoing. This is hardly surprising to anyone who has managed commercially sensitive major project discussions.

Light rail is a perennial, indeed overwhelming, focus for the Liberals. They believe it’s the government’s Achilles heel, while Chief Minister Andrew Barr thinks the silent majority approve of both light rail and the Calvary takeover.

He may well be proved right in the end as the Calvary takeover unfolds, but there’s no doubt the way the takeover has been done has profoundly shocked many Canberrans and, indeed, many Australians.

One would have thought the Calvary issue was tailor-made for the Liberals to shine.

It pits government powers against private business rights. A much-loved institution where many Canberrans have received values-driven care is being subsumed to meet needs arguably stemming from the ACT Government’s inability to manage the health care system over decades.

There’s even the religious freedoms element so beloved of the previous federal government, ranged against the reproductive rights principle dear to many on the left.

So why aren’t the Liberals leading the crusade against the Calvary acquisition?

Where are their alternative ideas for fixing ACT Health, one of the Territory’s most persistent problems? Where are the Liberals’ considered policies on Northside health provision in one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia?

Where’s the detailed response to a significant issue around sovereign risk, outlined clearly by Business Chamber chair Archie Tsirimokos?

Once again, the lack of informed, considered, well-thought-out policy alternatives is apparent. There is little of substance beyond the adjectives.

As the Liberals enter their 23rd year in opposition with an election ahead of them in 2024, they must solve this problem.

Substantial issues need substantial reactions. There’s plenty of political theory around big and small campaign targets, but surely that works best when voters have some grasp of what the opposition actually stands for. A small target strategy won’t work for a party that hasn’t been in government since 2001.

Last week, MLA Peter Cain echoed an opinion piece in The Australian when he called for the government to be sacked.

The Twitter responses said it all. “Try getting people to vote for you, dude”, one read.

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The Canberra Liberals treat the Canberra Community with contempt. Their election review blamed Canberra and various conspiracies for their continuing slide in to irrelevance rather than accept any need for change.

They have barely 700 members who are openly happy keeping it this way. It’s them againt everyone.

Hansen is back wirh his comeback vanity tour. Parton never left radio and it’s just the boring Mark Parton Show. What he had for breakfast and boasting about his “views”, well go back to radio then. Does the Mark Parton Show have any actual purpose? Must be be great for Parton. Paid better than before with no audience figures and advertisers to worry about.

Now we pay for that.

These clowns have been attacking and alienating their way in to irrelevance for decades yet they complain about being irrelevant.

Go figure.

Angry old men yelling at clouds. John Cziezla still the president despite directly overseeing two decades of failure and branch stacking for the likes of Zed, another colossal failure.

Canberra needs a new party. Apparently Pocock’s group may run candidates next ACT election.

The Canberra Liberals still have 9 seats to lose after Coe’s humiliating publicly funded implosion.

Someone just put this publicly funded party out of its misery.

We deserve better than this.

The Canberra Liberals treat the Canberra Community with contempt. Their election review blamed Canberra and various conspiracies for their continuing slide in to irrelevance rather than accept any need for change.

They have barely 700 members who are openly happy keeping it this way. It’s them againt everyone.

Hansen is back wirh his comeback vanity tour. Parton never left radio and it’s just the boring Mark Parton Show. What he had for breakfast and boasting about his “views”, well go back to radio then. Does the Mark Parton Show have any actual purpose? Must be be great for Parton. Paid better than before with no audience figures and advertisers to worry about.

Now we pay for that.

These clowns have been attacking and alienating their way in to irrelevance for decades yet they complain about being irrelevant.

Go figure.

Angry old men yelling at clouds. John Cziezla still the president despite directly overseeing two decades of branch stacking for the likes of Zed, another colossal failure.

Canberra needs a new party. Apparently Pocock’s group may run candidates next ACT election.

The Canberra Liberals still have 9 seats to lose after Coe’s humiliating publicly funded implosion.

Someone just put this publicly funded party out of its misery.

We deserve better than this.

I think this article is interesting but not very fair because ABC and Canberra Times as well as the Riot Act perpetually ignore libs. It’s not a void at all, it’s stonewalling by the media. And moreover- this article is now gaslighting because you’re saying they never speak up. When they actually do but are just ignored!

I also don’t see BarrLaborGreens being a good example of democracy.

While yes they’re voted in, from there on, they’re then NOT good at democracy. They’re not listeners nor representative of their public who voted them in and who they’re meant to represent and govern.

Calvary, the tram, the Curtin Horsepaddocks are all prime examples of blatantly steamrolling the public.

I see BarrLaborGreens as empire builders, proud defenders of the strong, healthy, financial, young, childless citizens of Canberra. Because that is who the actual ACT Labor party comprises. Strong healthy young Childress people. And therefore, that’s what BarrLaborGreens represents. Not voters.

BarrLaborGreens are building international commerce including in the growing illegal brothels springing up all around the suburbs, legalising and promoting drug use, ignoring that murder homicides have DOUBLED in the past 5 years and TRIPLED in the last 7 years in Canberra. Teachers in Canberra are about to drop by 30% due to burnout and out of control kids.

On a daily basis BarrLaborGreens ignore Canberra’s mums, parents, kids, youth, disabled, dads, teachers, nurses, elderly, ALL other minorities aside from 🏳️‍🌈 who are disproportionately favoured with their very own $10m health clinic. Be nice to have a dedicated women & children health clinic wouldn’t it? Or a dedicated any other health clinic to any other minority group. They only allocated $2m to youth mental health which is inadequate.

To me, BarrLaborGreens do NOT represent Labor values at all. Not at all. They don’t.

Instead, BarrLaborGreens have become a morphed strange ideology which is like the pigs taking over he house in Animal Farm and sending the cart horse to slaughter.

Is a lot of that summarised by ‘think of the children’ with that Ned Flanders scene from the Simpsons often seen in GIFs?

Why the dig at women’s and children’s health services? You do realise that the default in most health equipment is the male body and that creates a problem. The point of having specialised children’s wards/clinics is so there is resuscitation and other equipment small enough for their smaller bodies. You cannot put a resuscitation mask, designed for an adult male, on a child. Other resuscitation equipment is scaled down for the smaller hearts, lungs etc. Similarly, cannulas and syringes, designed for adults are too big for the veins of children.

As for women’s health facilities, the only treatment at such centres (like the Centenary Hospital for Women & children) is maternity services and for gynaecological issues – which again requires specialised equipment. There is no need for tools to examine a cervix or uterus at other parts of the hospital. Women can’t go to this hospital for treatment for conditions such as the flu or a sprained knee etc.

There are also facilities at both hospitals which have a significantly higher proportion of male patients, such as the urology & cardiac areas – as it should be. Yes, women can have these problems, but statistically it is a higher proportion of males. Men are not being disadvantaged by specialised women and children health services.

It’s difficult to argue against a government monopoly in power for over twenty years straight. Labor own this town

HiddenDragon7:42 pm 03 Jul 23

When it comes to balanced coverage of local politics, Canberra is basically Pyongyang with (generally) better-stocked supermarkets – all that’s missing is the fearsome kabuki lady shouting “yarra” in a blood-curdling voice at the end of the evening telly news bulletin.

As to the policy aspects of the Calvary takeover, I suspect megsy at 7.35am is fairly close to the mark – never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.

It may be a mistake, but anyone that thinks a large chunk of the population is going to give a flying stuff about the Calvary mess at the next election is in for a rude shock.

It isn’t a vote winner. They’ve tried 3 times on the TRAM to make opposition to it a major vote winner, and failed miserably.

This is all ACT voters need, Jeremy Hanson and Leanne Castley playing politics and undermining the ACT’s law and decision-making processes. Fronting the media looking more like Ken and Barbie, ACT voters do not even know who the real opposition health spokesperson is. Mr Hanson has now taken the lead with Ms Castley relegated to the background at media events, looking grim, following orders and nodding obediently!!
The Canberra Liberals have no relevance when it comes to the ACT’s public hospitals. The last and only time the Liberals were in government our city had three public hospitals. With great excitement they blew one of them up. Turning the event into a public relations disaster, it has been described as one of our city’s darkest days. The tragedy culminated in the loss of life and a long running court battle still felt today. Like my family, many Canberrans have fond memories of the old hospital’s legacy having worked or been born there.
The ACT government has been struggling ever since, with only one major hospital carrying the load for a run-down privately operated and publicly funded Catholic hospice.
Don’t get me started on sovereign risk! The Canberra Liberals at the 2016 election under the leadership of the Batman and Robin team, Jeremy Hanson and his deputy Alistair Coe vowed to rip up the light rail contract if they were elected. If successful the party would have driven the Territory’s finances into an unmanageable and excessive debt which we would be still paying today.
Mr Hanson and his colleagues are out there again actively undermining and trampling our democratic processes. Lobbying their federal mates to intervene in the Calvary Hospital takeover, weakening our city’s democratically elected government to govern and its law and decision-making processes!!

nice little bit of casual sexism there, Jack.
I’m sure if it was Andrew Barr and Rachel-Stephen Smith, you’d be disgusted that anyone would refer to them as Ken and Barbie, but I suppose because they’re not your colour, it’s ok.
I’m sure your minions down there on London Circuit are quite pleased with your comment!

Oh spare me Andy B!!

This is one of the best comments I’ve read that I still disagree with. But you’ve written a very well thought through comment which is brings true facts and is entertaining. Thankyou. The Ken Barbie comment is funny, mean, but funny and true. However Leanne’s actuality a sweetheart and a very strong woman 👩🏼 so don’t think what you’ve said is really true. But it’s funny. The comment about the blowing up of the hospital is true and tragic. Yes we should not forget that. It was a tragedy and a massive mistake made by Liberals that should always be remembered, and the lessons it provided.

Why do I not agree with your political sentiments? Well simply down to the fact that you use the word “democratic process”.

I don’t see BarrLaborGreens being a good example of democracy.

While yes they’re voted in, from there on, they’re then not good at democracy. They’re not listeners nor representative of their public who voted them in and who they’re meant to represent and govern.

I see BarrLaborGreens as empire builders, proud defenders of the strong, healthy, financial, young, childless citizens of Canberra. Because that is who the actual ACT Labor party comprises. Strong healthy young Childress people. And therefore, that’s what BarrLaborGreens represents. Not voters.

BarrLaborGreens are building international commerce including in the growing illegal brothels springing up all around the suburbs, legalising and promoting drug use, ignoring that murder homicides have DOUBLED in the past 5 years and TRIPLED in the last 7 years in Canberra. Teachers in Canberra are about to drop by 30% due to burnout and out of control kids.

On a daily basis BarrLaborGreens ignore Canberra’s mums, parents, kids, youth, disabled, dads, teachers, nurses, elderly, ALL other minorities aside from 🏳️‍🌈 who are disproportionately favoured with their very own $10m health clinic. Be nice to have a dedicated women & children health clinic wouldn’t it? Or a dedicated any other health clinic to any other minority group. They only allocated $2m to youth mental health which is inadequate.

To me, BarrLaborGreens do NOT represent Labor values at all. Not at all. They don’t.

Instead, BarrLaborGreens have become a morphed strange ideology which is like the pigs taking over he house in Animal Farm and sending the cart horse to slaughter.

ChrisinTurner1:47 pm 03 Jul 23

The Calvary Hospital was built and fully paid for by the Government. I don’t understand how it doesn’t already belong to them.

Bob the impala3:20 pm 03 Jul 23

The land was gifted in 1971, ChrisinTurner, so that has to be recompensed to reclaim it.

Alex Stephens1:15 pm 03 Jul 23

The marginalised, the poor and the sick have not and probably never will count for much in the minds of the political class, judging by the lack of affordable housing options and buildings going empty for years that could house the homeless for instance. Rampant development, read environmental vandalism – destroying the amenity of the city and surrounds; and the pursuit of ideology seem to be more important, IMO.

Our choice is between a bad government or a worse opposition. If only there was a third choice we could vote for, oh that’s right, there used to be, until the Greens hopped into bed with Labor.

Balance needed1:20 pm 03 Jul 23

Sadly, that is how many of us feel. =sigh=

The claim that cost estimates cannot be revealed because negotiations are underway cannot be correct. There are too many issues yet to be resolved before negotiations can start.

I was surprised when it happened, but wouldn’t call it divisive in the community. I’d guess those with an alignment to the Catholic faith would have been more agitated. And their legal challenge was dismissed. The Liberals may well have missed a kick at goal, again, but it’s just not really held as that big and issue in the community and it wouldn’t have got traction anyway.

Having said that, the ACT Labor government is stale and a lot of the time unaccountable after 23 years. But try as they might, the Libs cannot seem to gather a head of steam to make anyone think about voting for them. And with the Greens coalition, I’d say they are pretty immovable. I’d love to see a viable opposition, but it may be a while yet.

Complete media blackout when Barrs goon squad pulled down all the religious cross’s last week.

First of all Calvary removed the crosses because they belonged to Calvary. Secondly how does your description if a “complete media blackout” explain why the Canberra Times livestreamed it?

Bob the impala3:17 pm 03 Jul 23

It was pretty funny to read that the Archbishop was raving about totalitarian states attacking crosses while his own brethren believers were the ones taking down the icons.

Is Barr’s “Goon squad” catholic is it? Because that is who took them down lol.

Maybe because they know this move was necessary and they didn’t want to inherit the mess when (if?) they ever win an election. The arrangement no longer suited Canberra’s health needs and was always going to be a hard process to end the out of date contract. This way the Liberals can appear to have clean hands and can blame someone else during the hard transition; but know it will ultimately make health delivery easier to manage if they ever get in charge again.

You say it’s a “highly divisive issue”. Maybe, in the minds of the majority of the public, it’s not.

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