ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Health. As the minister claimed that he does not know the cost of delivering the new Royal Adelaide Hospital on the radio this morning, how did the government determine that a PPP is the best value for taxpayers?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:44): I thank the member for Morphett. Before I—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop!

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Yes, that's true. I have just been advised that the question asked by the member for—

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Finniss!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —Davenport, I think, was why a whole range of figures were not included in the RAH capital cost and I am advised that they were in fact included, and that was presented to the Leader of the Opposition at the time that we gave her a briefing on it. In relation to the member for Morphett's question about—what was it again?

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Yes. The reality is that we have yet to reach financial settlement with the contracting parties, because we are going into negotiations with them and—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Look, I don't know if the Leader of the Opposition has ever entered into a contract with anybody, but when you go into a contract, both parties start off with pretty well an understanding about where they are going and then you just nut out the details. We are very confident that the details, once they have been made available to the public, will establish very clearly that this is a good deal for the public, and the cost comparator that the government has is used as the basis to determine when—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The cost comparator indicates that the arrangement we are making with the project company will give the South Australian public a good deal in relation to this hospital and that will be all apparent once the final transactional arrangements are put in place and are revealed to the public. I keep saying the same thing over: we are being perfectly open and honest about this, unlike the opposition, which will not show the document they are relying on to make the outrageous claims that they are making.