TENDERS ACT documents show that the ACT government has earmarked $800,000 for a Melbourne creative design studio to rebrand Canberra Health Services before next year’s election.

“$800,000 would pay for 30 hip replacements, 200 cataract operations or 300 MRIs,” says opposition health spokesperson Leanne Castley.

Castley says the latest contract comes on top of CHS spending $48,387 with another Melbourne company in 2021, also to refresh the Canberra Health Services’ brand.

She says the $800,000 contract brief asks Melbourne creative design studio, Studio Binocular, to recommend the best “tone of voice” for Canberra Health Services’ audiences, and to define who CHS are.

“If Canberra Health Services don’t know who they are or what they stand for, who their stakeholders are and what tone they should use to address them, then heaven help us,” says Castley.

“It appears that Canberra Health Services believes it needs more image consultants to compensate for the Barr-Rattenbury government diverting $3 billion to its new tram extension.”