House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Royal Adelaide Hospital ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL Ms CICCARELLO House of Assembly Norwood ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL Ms CICCARELLO (Norwood) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Health. What are the latest developments towards the construction of South Australia's new health and medical research institute and how does the proposal for the current RAH impact on research? The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly Kaurna Minister for Health Minister for the Southern Suburbs Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:00): As many members would know, the commonwealth government has supported our proposition to build a new state-of-the-art health and medical research institute on the City West campus. Construction works are anticipated to begin in February next year and be completed by 2012. This will give us capacity in our new facility for about 670 medical and health researchers. This is exactly what the research— Dr McFetridge interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morphett. The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: This is exactly what the health and medical research community has been asking for and what we are pleased to provide. This facility will be adjacent to the new, world-class RAH on the same site, which will allow research and teaching services to be provided from the one site in the most modern buildings capable of being provided. This contrasts with the opposition's proposition yesterday. If one looks at the flyover on their website, it shows they are demolishing a set of buildings on the Frome Road site of the RAH where they will construct a 800-bed facility at some stage unnamed in the future. These buildings just happen to be where IMVS (where millions of pathology tests are carried out) and the Hanson Institute for Cancer Research (one of the state's most respected research bodies) are located. In addition, under their proposition they will demolish not only the IMVS building and all the work that happens there but also the historically important Eleanor Harrold Building, which contains the lecture theatre where medical students are taught. One of the great criticisms of the government's proposition is that it would cut off the hospital from research, pathology services and education, yet under the Liberals' proposition that was unveiled yesterday they will demolish all the buildings in which those services are provided. The hypocrisy from those opposite is just staggering. Nowhere in their plans can we see—and I would be happy for them tell us—where they are proposing to locate IMVS and research and teaching facilities. They have a bizarre plan. They want to put 1,800 beds on the RAH site, with none of the facilities required to service the patients and no research and no teaching at all. This is a half-baked proposition with a $700 million black hole. It demonstrates the division in the Liberal Party between the spokesperson on health and the opposition leader. It shows confusion. It is a misleading attempt to try to get the public of South Australia to believe that they actually have a plan— Ms Chapman House of Assembly Ms Chapman: Bring on the election. The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: —yes, indeed—when all they have is a bunch of half-baked ideas.