Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris continues to resist "sudden" calls for a board of inquiry into ACT Health, saying there is no evidence of criminal behaviour or significant harm to people within the system.
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Ms Fitzharris announced an independent review into ACT Health's culture last week after months of escalating pressure over mismanagement and bullying allegations.
But she fell short of announcing a board of inquiry - as supported by the Australian Medical Association, salaried doctors' union and the opposition - which would have had similar powers and witness protections of a royal commission.
Ms Fitzharris on Monday told The Canberra Times other significant health groups - including the nurses' union, Health Care Consumers' Association and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons - all supported her alternative independent review.
She said she had been in constant discussions with the Australian Medical Association about the issues within ACT Health and their call for a board of inquiry last week was "sudden".
She said the allegations were all around poor workplace culture and a board of inquiry would only be appropriate if there was evidence of systemic criminal matters.
Ms Fitzharris' comments comes as the opposition health spokeswoman Vicki Dunne calls on the Greens to support a board of inquiry.
Through a motion in the Assembly on Wednesday Mrs Dunne will again call for a board of inquiry into ACT Health.
Ms Fitzharris said the terms of reference for the independent review were being finalised but was expected to be made up of a panel of three independent people.
She said the issue of whether there would be public hearings as part of the review was still being determined.
"There is potential for it to be misused and people named in public causing enormous professional and personal harm," Ms Fitzharris said.
"A free for all is not what anyone is saying to me that they want."
She claimed a board of inquiry would be one of the worst ways to protect people coming forward due to its public nature.
She said nurses and other health professionals may not feel comfortable coming forward to tell their stories if there was a chance they had to be cross examined “by a high powered legal team".
"[What we're seeing are] issues of workplace culture which organisations deal with all the time," she said.
"To think it would warrant a royal commission is definitely a step too far."
Ms Fitzharris said ACT Health senior executives were already held to account publicly twice yearly through estimate hearings and annual report hearings.
She pointed to Canberra Hospital's accreditation in August as an example of improvements in workplace culture already underway.
Mrs Dunne will on Wednesday propose a motion calling for a board of inquiry into ACT Health.
She wrote to Greens members of the Legislative Assembly Shane Rattenbury and Caroline Le Couteur asking for their support.
"I believe a board of inquiry is the only vehicle that will expose and offer real solutions to the problems in the ACT's health system," Mrs Dunne said in her letters to the Greens members.
"I believe the Assembly has a responsibility to the people of Canberra to root out those problems and provide the foundation for a more positive future."
