The top three levels of a government building in Canberra's city centre shuttered for more than 60 days after an asbestos discovery will reopen next week.
But the first three levels of the City Health Centre at 1 Moore Street will remain closed indefinitely while Infrastructure Canberra considers what needs to be done before they could be reoccupied.
"The health and safety of building occupants, tenants, contractors, and visitors remains the ACT government's highest priority. All decisions regarding access to, and reoccupation of, the building will continue to be guided by specialist expert advice and independent certification," Infrastructure Canberra said on Tuesday.
"Infrastructure Canberra will continue to work closely with partner Directorates to support tenant agencies and service providers in implementing business continuity arrangements and minimising disruption to services while the building remains closed."
Levels 3, 4 and 5 would reopen from September 7 after cleaning and remediation work in affected plant room areas was completed, the government agency said.
"The ground floor, level 1 and level 2 will remain closed indefinitely while Infrastructure Canberra continues to assess requirements for their future reoccupation," the agency said.
The partial reopening means the Canberra Innovation Network will be able to return to its offices on the fourth and fifth floors.
The building was first closed for three days in late June but Infrastructure Canberra has moved several times to extend the closure.
In July, budget estimates heard the health services provided in the building had been relocated from other Canberra Health Services sites.
"For the most part have been able to accommodate people within expected times that they otherwise would have been seen due to the really great work from our teams, who have done the best that they can to get on and make sure that we are still seeing patients," Canberra Health Services chief executive Janet Zagari told estimates on July 29.
"I really would like to thank the teams who have done that so well."
The Moore Street building was originally constructed for the ACT Health Service, with work beginning in the 1970s before self-government.
Australia started introducing asbestos bans in the mid-1980s and totally banned the manufacture, use, reuse, import and sale of all asbestos forms in 2003.
The government identified the Moore Street building for sale as part of a Commonwealth asset recycling program more than a decade ago.
The 2016-17 ACT budget funded a business case for relocating the City Health Centre after its planned sale in the asset recycling scheme, which offered states and territories bonuses from the Commonwealth if they sold ageing infrastructure and reinvested the proceeds in agreed projects.
But the ACT government has retained the building and provided $3.1 million in funding between 2022 and 2024 to renovate office space and expand the Canberra Innovation Network's footprint.
