QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL

Mr KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Health. What is the government doing to improve facilities for research at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:54): I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his strong advocacy for the western suburbs health system. The state government is committed to upgrading the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. An important part of our current $120 million redevelopment program is a new, state-of-the-art $19 million research laboratory. The new centre will boost the state's health and medical research capabilities.

This facility will provide state-of-the-art laboratories equipped with technically advanced research equipment. The QEH is a teaching hospital, with a proud and strong tradition in the pursuit of excellence in clinical care, teaching and research. Once completed the new research facility will allow the QEH to continue to attract and retain first-class clinicians and researchers well into the future. I had the pleasure of visiting the new facility last week (and I must say that the builders have made very quick progress in the initial stages of the project), and the researchers and clinicians I spoke to were very excited about the opportunities this new centre will provide.

The QEH has a strong role in research in South Australia—the hospital's research activities have acted as an incubator for significant endeavours in South Australia—such as reproductive medicine and sleep studies, as well as the Child Health Research Institute investigations of wound repairs—and the laboratories will provide a large, integrated space for collaboration between groups from diverse areas of medicine, including cardiology, gastroenterology and urology.

Ten groups are expected to move into the facility to undertake and expand on research, further enhancing the hospital's reputation for research excellence. Around 125 people will work in the facility, including research staff and a large number of higher degree and honours students who are in training. The facility is a three-storey building to be constructed on the old Simpson Street car park opposite the hospital, behind the Woodville Hotel. It will also provide undercover parking for staff and university researchers and will be constructed to allow for expansion in the longer term.

The government is working to expand health and medical research in South Australia through the establishment of a health and medical research council. Through our reforms, revenue from the commercialisation of research in the state supports researchers and their projects rather than going into general state revenue, which was the case previously. This is a really progressive step forward in building up our health and medical research sector and supporting our researchers.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!