The City Health Centre in Canberra's city centre has been closed for at least three days following the discovery of asbestos-containing materials in a plant room during routine maintenance. All patient appointments at the facility, located at the corner of Moore Street and Alinga Street, have been or are being rescheduled, according to a notice on the Canberra Health Services website.
Government Response and Safety Measures
A government spokesperson confirmed that the asbestos was found on Monday and that the building will remain closed until at least Friday while investigations continue. "The health and safety of occupants remains the government's immediate priority. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the environment is safe," the spokesperson said. "Decisions regarding reopening of the building and provision of any further information to staff, consumers and visitors will continue to be guided by expert advice."
Specialist consultants recommended the building be closed on Tuesday, and it will remain shut on Wednesday and Thursday, the government added.
Building Tenants and History
The City Health Centre houses multiple services, including the MSI Canberra Abortion and Contraception Clinic, BreastScreen ACT, the canTEST pill testing service, and the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN). The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal was also formerly located in the building. Construction of the building, originally for the ACT Health Service, began in the 1970s before self-government, when asbestos was widely used in building products in Australia.
Australia began introducing asbestos bans in the mid-1980s and completely prohibited the manufacture, use, reuse, import, and sale of all asbestos forms in 2003. Asbestos poses a health risk if fibres become airborne and are inhaled, potentially leading to mesothelioma, a normally rare cancer, according to a 2021 fact sheet from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The CSIRO noted that people exposed to asbestos in the workplace, such as during mining, manufacture, or installation, face greater risk than those occupying buildings with asbestos products.
Previous Government Plans and Funding
The ACT government identified the Moore Street building for sale more than a decade ago as part of a Commonwealth asset recycling program. The 2016–17 ACT budget funded a business case for relocating the City Health Centre after its planned sale, which offered states and territories bonuses from the Commonwealth for selling ageing infrastructure and reinvesting proceeds in agreed projects. However, the government retained the building and provided $3.1 million in funding between 2022 and 2024 to renovate office space and expand the Canberra Innovation Network's footprint.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr told the Legislative Assembly's standing committee on economics, industry and recreation in February 2025 that "future expansion of CBRIN at 1 Moore Street is supported subject to future demand for floor space, viable relocation options for existing tenants and provision of refurbishment funding through normal budget processes."
Recent Asbestos Incidents in ACT Schools
The closure follows a separate incident in late 2025, when the ACT government shut or partially closed several public schools after asbestos-contaminated play sand was identified. Education Minister Yvette Berry told the Legislative Assembly in December 2025: "The laws in the ACT around asbestos removal are some of the most rigorous in the country. While we understand the risk of exposure to the traces of asbestos in these products was identified as low, under ACT work health and safety laws, any products containing asbestos must be assessed and removed by licensed asbestos assessors."
