Rachel Stephen-Smith says she will speak with Calvary staff about acquisition but she has to be invited

Rachel Stephen-Smith also said she expected the Catholic Church would mount a campaign against the government's decision but said she was surprised at some of the church's rhetoric.

The ACT government will compulsorily acquire the Bruce public hospital on July 3, in a move the government has said will lead to a more integrated health system.

The government also wants the land to build a new $1 billion hospital for Canberra's booming north.

Staff from Calvary have expressed a desire to speak with the Health Minister about the compulsory acquisition. Ms Stephen-Smith said she would be happy to do so at any time but would need to be invited by Calvary.

"I have made it very clear that I will be happy to come to Calvary at any time but again, I need to be invited by Calvary to speak with their staff," she told ABC radio.

"We've made it very clear to Calvary that I am happy to come and talk to staff at any time but for me to go to Calvary public hospital, at this point in time, I need to be invited by the operators of Calvary public hospital and that is Calvary Health Care.

"I don't think they would appreciate it if I simply rocked up."

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church's campaign against the move has started to ramp up with a petition attracting more than 3000 signatures as of Sunday.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn has started a campaign against the compulsory acquisition. Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn Christoper Prowse wrote to worshippers saying people would be deprived of care based on the ethos of their faith.

"I am also concerned that this action, based on obsessive government control, would deprive future generations in Canberra of the choice of hospital based on the ethos of our cherished Catholic faith," Archbishop Prowse wrote.

"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."

Ms Stephen-Smith said she fully expected the Catholic Church to campaign against the decision.

"We always knew that Calvary, if they weren't going to support the change that the church would get involved and that the Catholic Church would run a campaign against this," she said.

"I have been surprised by some of the rhetoric and some of the letters that Archbishop Prowse has sent out, for example around the rights of people of a particular faith to have access to a public hospital of a particular faith."

MORE CALVARY TAKEOVER NEWS:

Ms Stephen-Smith emphasised, again, the decision had nothing to do with religion.

The government was working with Calvary on the new hospital and had offered the organisation another 25-year agreement to operate the hospital. But the 25-year agreement was much shorter than the existing agreement, which currently has 76 years remaining.

"If it had been [about religion] we wouldn't have offered Calvary a 25-year agreement to run the new hospital," Ms Stephen-Smith said.

There are posters around Canberra from a group called Catholic Action which are critical of the government's decision. One of the posters says "Pray for Rachel Stephen-Smith".

Ms Stephen-Smith was asked if she would appreciate if people would pray for her.

"That's entirely a choice for other people. I'm not a religious person. If people would like to pray for me that's fine. I don't necessarily know that I need if for the reasons that the posters would suggest," she said.

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