Ministerial Statement

ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:09): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: On Tuesday 2 June 2009 an employee of the Department of Health's Major Projects Office lost his USB flash drive containing an electronic copy of some new Royal Adelaide Hospital working files. Later that day the employee advised his director in the Major Projects Office of the loss of the drive. An extensive search has been undertaken; however, the drive has not yet been located.

SA Health and the Department of Treasury and Finance officers were advised of this loss on Wednesday 3 June. Both the Treasurer and I were advised of this event by our respective departments on Friday 12 June. This matter has been reported to SAPOL and the Crown Solicitor's Office. The government's internal and external probity advisers have also been apprised of this event.

Security protocols that were already in place for this project have now been tightened. The government has ordered a review of this breach by the Crown Solicitor's Office to establish whether additional revised protocols and procedures are required to minimise the risk of such an event occurring in the future.

The government remains 100 per cent committed to the building of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and is progressing its procurement as a public-private partnership through the expressions of interest stage that began last week. The advice to the Treasurer and to me is that this event is not expected to have any impact on the work going on at the moment in preparation for the construction of the hospital.