A 25-bed secure mental health unit at Symonston is set to receive unanimous support from the ACT Legislative Assembly, clearing the way for the government to speed up its construction.
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Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson said the Canberra Liberals would back the government's proposal for a medium-security unit at the former Quamby Detention Centre site.
Mr Hanson said the opposition had "no choice" but to support the location because it believed the secure unit should be built as soon as possible.
Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury said he would also endorse the project at next week's Assembly sitting.
The backing of the Assembly's three parties increases the likelihood the government will introduce special legislation in the spring sittings to bypass planning laws and bring forward the construction of the much-needed unit.
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said she was considering the extreme measure after Fairfax Media revealed that completion of the unit had been delayed by more than a year to May 2017.
News of the delay followed the first prisoner suicide in Canberra's jail last month.
A 30-year-old inmate died in his cell in the prison's health centre, just one month after authorities were warned he was at risk of self-harm.
The death in custody occurred amid fresh concerns about the gap in Canberra's forensic services following a spate of attacks at the territory's adult mental health unit and revelations that at least two patients had been sent to jail for incidents at the unit.
The government had originally planned to build a 15-bed high-security unit by March 2016, before revising its plans to a 25-bed medium-security unit.
Ms Gallagher, who defended the drawn-out planning process, said if the government had not done the work to reach that decision, the territory would have ended up with a facility that did not meet its needs.
She welcomed the opposition's support for the Symonston plan.
"If we get 17 votes that, yes, it's the right size and that we should get on and build it as soon as we can, then that would be a great outcome," Ms Gallagher said.
"From that, I would then take the next decision, which would be to start drafting the project-specific legislation and getting that in."
Ms Gallagher said project-specific legislation would bring the completion date forward by about six months to the end of 2016.
Mr Hanson said the Canberra Liberals wanted the unit built as soon as possible and, with the government locked in to the Symonston site, they "have no option but to support the facility in its proposed location".
He said the project, after years of delays, was still "in disarray".
"If the government decides to now rush the project through the planning process, it will only be because of the litany of mistakes it has made that have led to years of delay,'' Mr Hanson said.
Mr Rattenbury said any legislation to speed up the project would have to ensure there was space for community consultation.
"I agree that options need to be considered to progress this project as quickly as possible," he said.
"There is an obvious need for a secure mental health facility in the ACT."