COUNTRY HEALTH CARE PLAN

The Hon. R.G. KERIN (Frome) (14:50): Will the Minister for Health advise the total cost of advertising to date for the South Australian Country Health Care Plan and whether the ad campaign has been funded from the Country Health SA budget? Since the Country Health Care Plan was released on 5 June, full-page advertisements have frequently appeared in The Advertiser, the Sunday Mail and regional newspapers. Advertising has also run on country television. A full-page advertisement on page 10 of the Sunday Mail, such as was published last Sunday, costs in excess of $18,000.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:51): I thank the member for Frome—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I thank the member for Frome for his question. Of course, before she was ejected from this place, in one of her many interjections the deputy leader said, 'Why did you release it when you did without people knowing about it?' One of the things that I wanted to do is to make sure that people in country South Australia were aware of our plan and had access to it. So, we advertised extensively. I was criticised for trying to sneak it out—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I will get to that.

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Finniss!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I was criticised for sneaking it out and now I am criticised for publicising it. It is not quite clear to me what I am supposed to do in relation to telling people about major changes that are proposed to country services—major changes that will improve country services, I hasten to add.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The deputy leader—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will take his seat. The member for Finniss has been warned once. He is now warned a second time. If he has another question—and there is still 20 minutes to go—if he wants clarification of something the minister is saying to follow up, he has the ability to do that in an orderly way. It is not necessary for him to yell out while the minister is attempting to answer the question. The member for Finniss is warned a second time. The Minister for Health.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: In relation to the matter of cost, as I recollect, the deputy leader asked me the same question during estimates and I gave an answer which should be on the record. I will have it checked to see whether there is a change to that figure.