Federal Health Minister Mark Butler won't intervene in the forced Calvary Hospital takeover

It comes as the federal opposition called on the Albanese government to override the ACT government.

The opposition regards the forced takeover of Calvary as "shameful", "unprecedented" and will have a "chilling signal to religious and private healthcare providers".

Former PM Scott Morrison also "felt compelled" to enter the fractious debate, saying it is "not something I think we can cop".

But Mr Butler indicated he is staying out of the dispute, while offering the high-stakes takeover has "nothing to do" with Calvary hospital being operated by a Catholic provider.

"This is a decision taken by the ACT government in the context of their view about how they operate public health services in that territory, and it wouldn't be a decision that would have been taken any differently were the hospital in question operated by a non-denominational provider," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"I've not had any request for involvement, and tend to leave it to those two parties to deal with.

"I think it's also important to stress that from my perspective, I see absolutely no precedent value in this."

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Mr Butler's comments follow those of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday when he backed the ACT decision and insisted the move was not setting a precedent nor was it driven by religion.

"The ACT government are expanding their public hospital service delivery and restructuring healthcare provision as a result," Mr Albanese told this masthead on Monday.

But the opposition - in a joint statement from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash and opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston - regards the Prime Minister as committing a "weak capitulation" to the Barr Labor-Green government over the "unprecedented" acquisition of Calvary.

"The Prime Minister must reconsider and intervene," the statement reads.

"This is a territory law. The Commonwealth government can and should intervene to override the ACT government and make clear that it will not stand for this outrageous hostile acquisition."

Legislation to allow the compulsory acquisition passed the ACT Legislative Assembly on Wednesday afternoon. Calvary Public Hospital Bruce will be officially taken over by Canberra Health Services on July 3.

The government announced in May it was forced to take the drastic step of compulsory acquisition after negotiations with the Little Company of Mary, the Catholic organisation that runs Calvary, broke down.

Mr Butler allayed fears the move would not create a precedent for further takeovers, a concern raised by ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson.

"Catholic and other non-government, including Church providers, are such an important part of our hospital and broader health and aged care systems across the country," Mr Butler said.

"I had a baby only last year at a Calvary Hospital. They are a very important part of our system across the country."

Independent ACT senator David Pocock said he has heard concerns about the perceived lack of consultation around the acquisition, but said the matter was ultimately up to the ACT government.

"While the federal government has a role in public hospital funding, this was a decision of the ACT government," Senator Pocock told The Canberra Times.

"The priority going forward needs to be ensuring we do not lose a single doctor, a single specialist, or a single nurse or other healthcare worker here in Canberra.

"We have none to spare."

Asked whether he was concerned about staff retention in light of the move, Mr Butler again distanced himself.

"I don't intend to get into the details of negotiations between state and territory government providers, or private hospital providers and their workforce," he said.

"All I'm doing is reading reports; I'm not better informed and frankly, nor should I be. It's not the job of the federal health minister to get involved in the operation of state and territory hospitals."

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