MARJORIE JACKSON-NELSON HOSPITAL

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:10): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The next step in South Australia's new state-of-the-art Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital was taken today with the release of the master plan for the site. The Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital Precinct Master Plan provides a detailed blueprint for the planning process for building Australia's most advanced hospital and has today been released for consultation with the community.

The precinct master plan is an important preparatory step to ensure that work can start on the site later this year with the decontamination process getting underway. The master plan is a significant step towards the hospital becoming a reality for all South Australians and ensures that the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital will open for its first patients in 2016.

The new hospital is the centrepiece of the state government's reform of our health system. The hospital will be the most technologically advanced hospital in Australia. We will design and build this hospital with the comfort and ease of patients in mind, and with guidance and input from clinical staff to ensure that it is practical and functional for their use, as well. The key to the success of this major project will be in its planning and coordination, and the master plan will be the framework for this massive project. The master plan explores a range of issues including:

the transformation of the eyesore of the rail yards site and the rejuvenation of the city's west end;

traffic and access;

contamination of the site and remediation;

the wider environmental impact including reclaiming currently restricted land for public use; and

site functions such as stormwater, geotechnical and seismic utility infrastructure, flight path, noise and emissions, and vibrations.

The release of the plan triggers a five-week engagement process with the community. This engagement period encourages community members and others who are impacted by the project to provide feedback on the master plan. The master plan and instructions for sending written comments can be accessed on the SA Health Department website at www.health.sa.gov.au. Hard copies of the plan can be obtained by contacting 1800 643 854.

Building a brand new hospital is the best option for our health system and most importantly for our community. Redeveloping the Royal Adelaide Hospital would involve retrofitting an existing hospital. Construction work and the associated noise would disturb health care delivery and inconvenience staff and patients for more than a decade. The new Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital will be finished by 2016, while rebuilding the Royal Adelaide Hospital would take until at least 2021.

The $1.7 billion Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital to replace the Royal Adelaide Hospital is the centrepiece of South Australia's $2.2 billion Health Care Plan, which was launched last year, with the goal of bringing together metropolitan hospitals to provide a unified health care system.