ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris has repeatedly rejected the need for a board of inquiry, saying "this matter of workplace culture does not warrant a royal commission" in Question Time on Tuesday.

Instead, Ms Fitzharris has promised that the review will be independent, its results will be published and witnesses will be protected.

But the Canberra Liberals have questioned how the minister can promise that, without the powers of a board of inquiry.

Andrew Wall said the Inquiries Act 1991 had strict rules around the misuse and disclosure of information obtained as part of an inquiry.

"Breaching these rules incurs serious penalties including jail sentences. Minister, will your proposed inquiry have the same protections against misuse and disclosure of information and under what legal instrument will that protection be provided?" Mr Wall asked.

Ms Fitzharris was tight-lipped, saying the terms of reference would be outlined in a few days.

Vicki Dunne asked how witnesses providing sensitive information would be protected, if there were no rules against misuse and disclosure.

"I refer Mrs Dunne to my previous answer," Ms Fitzharris said.

Jeremy Hanson asked if the inquiry would have the powers to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath or produce documents, as a board of inquiry would.

"I refer to my previous answers, Madam Speaker," Ms Fitzharris said.

The Australian Medical Association ACT, the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation ACT and the Visiting Medical Officers Association all say a board of inquiry is necessary to root out deep-seated cultural problems within the health system because past inquiries have been kept confidential and have done little to improve the situation.

The Liberals are leaning on the ACT Greens to support the establishment of a board of inquiry, sending letters to Shane Rattenbury and Caroline Le Couteur on Monday asking them to back her second push for the probe on Wednesday.

A Greens spokeswoman said the party had not moved from its earlier stance that the issue didn't require the resources of a royal commission to be solved.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation opposes the proposed board of inquiry. ACT branch secretary Matthew Daniel said it could mean nurses and midwives are sidelined because they don't have the money to "lawyer up" to appear before it.

"A legalistic inquiry has the potential to bring attention to headline issues only, to the detriment of key workplace issues that nurses and midwives may wish to raise but won't because of the high octane environment of a public inquiry," he said.

However, Mr Daniel said there had to be provisions in place to protect nurses who have evidence.

"Nurses and midwives form the largest part of ACT Health's workforce. If cultural issues in ACT Health are to be properly addressed it is important that their voices are heard throughout the independent review and that they are properly protected from retribution," Mr Daniel said.

Meanwhile, the ACT's parliament has launched its own inquiry into maternity services in Canberra's hospitals, off the back of concerns

The inquiry will largely focus on the standard of care provided to mothers and babies at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children and Calvary Public Hospital, although will touch on the impact of staffing levels and staff-to-patient ratios.

It comes five months after Centenary Hospital staff said lives are being put at risk by chronic overcrowding within the maternity unit, with daily over-bookings of labour inductions and women forced to wait long periods in the waiting room after birth because of a shortage of beds.

The open letter to Ms Fitzharris also alleged women were sometimes forced to wait in pain or miss out entirely on epidurals due to the high workload of the anaesthetists.

Health, Ageing and Community Services committee chair Michael Pettersson said there was increasing demand for continuous care across the maternity pathway and wants to ensure that all pathways are working well within ACT Maternity Services.

People who want to share their experience with maternity services in Canberra can lodge a submission with the Assembly until December 7 by emailing: LACommitteeHACS@parliament.act.gov.au