Stop anti-religious grab of Canberra’s Calvary Hospital, Peter Dutton tells Anthony Albanese

Peter Dutton has called on Anthony Albanese to intervene in the ACT Labor government’s hostile takeover and acquisition of a Catholic-owned private hospital.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Peter Dutton has called on Anthony Albanese to intervene in the ACT Labor government’s hostile takeover and acquisition of a Catholic-owned public hospital, saying it was a “blatant” act of religious discrimination with nat­ional implications.

The call from the Opposition Leader comes as Catholic leaders warn of a potential constitutional issue over property rights and a precedent that could pave the way for similar actions in other states and extend beyond hospitals to schools.

The ACT government last week said it would launch a compulsory takeover of the Catholic-owned and run Calvary Hospital in Canberra to build a new state-owned hospital at a cost of $1bn.

It conceded that the government has had a “strained” relationship with the hospital over 40 years but said a new hospital needed to owned by the state.

Calvary is one of two major acute-care hospitals in Canberra.

The Barr government claims that having a non-government-run hospital had led to structural inefficiencies.

Calvary said it was given no warning of the move to compulsory acquire the hospital with legislation introduced last week to facilitate the takeover and overside existing territory land acquisition laws.

Mr Dutton has accused the ACT government of a religiously motivated takeover and called for the federal government to step in and prevent the takeover.

“This is an issue above politics and there should be a bipartisan position from the Prime Minister and myself calling for the chief minister to stop an action that is blatantly motivated by religious discrimination,” he told The ­Australian.

“One of the PM’s great loves is the Catholic Church and it’s time he stood up on what is a threshold issue whether we are going to tolerate discrimination on the basis of religion.

“This is a true test.”

Writing in The Australian today, the former vicar-general of the Canberra-Goulburn archdiocese and head of the Calvary taskforce Father Tony Percy accused the ACT government of a “totalitarian” anti-religious takeover of the hospital, which is the second largest in the territory.

“This is a serious issue with grave consequences for the Federation. The Prime Minister must get involved.

“After all, the commonwealth government invited Calvary to Canberra,” he said.

“Nothing less than the rule of law is at stake.

“No Australian likes to be dispossessed of their land and property. No Australian likes their contract ripped up unilaterally.

“One of the most significant reasons why Australia is a free and fair nation is because of our property rights, which ensure stability.

“Property rights are a key ‘natural mechanism’ ensuring both the creation of wealth and its just distribution.

“This move by the ACT government is dangerous, totalitarian in nature. Suddenly, everything is up for grabs.

“Every Australian should be deeply concerned.”

Father Percy said the ACT government had a history of political antagonism towards Calvary, accusing it of restricting medical services “due to an overriding religious ethos” in relation to abortion – which was not a service offered by the state-run Canberra hospital either.

Mr Dutton’s call for federal intervention follows Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher this week accusing the ACT government of an “extreme land-and-assets grab” in an attempt to implement an “anti-life agenda”.

“It’s no secret that the ACT government wants to force Calvary Hospital to provide abortions now, and euthanasia and assisted suicide in the future,” he wrote on Tuesday.

“Taking the land, buildings and hospital equipment and transferring staff employment across to Canberra Health Ser­vices allows them to push their anti-life agenda right through the hospital.”