Ministerial Statement

HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (14:11): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Members have made comments by interjection for some time. The reality is that the Auditor-General still has the reports and, until he has finished with them, I cannot table anything until the financials have been signed off by the auditor. So, I am awaiting the Auditor-General's work.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You will hear the minister in silence.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: They ask for information, and then they comment on it. It is fair enough if they want to comment, but at least let me complete what I was saying. The Auditor-General in the past used to audit the Department of Health's accounts initially, and that would be part of the normal Auditor-General's reports, and then the minister of the day would present the Department of Health's annual report.

Because of the changes, largely brought about by the establishment of the Local Health Networks (LHN) arrangements with the commonwealth, we now have a much more integrated set of accounts, and the Auditor-General determined that he was not going to audit the Department of Health's accounts until he had access to the accounts of the other hospital networks (the Local Health Networks). That was a change in his procedures, which caught us unawares.

He waited until all of those reports have come in, and he has had them now for some time. We are waiting for him to finalise those reports; as you can imagine, they are very complex. That was not the way he did it in the past; this is a new way of doing it. When I have received from him the audited reports, I will table the department's reports—they are ready to go, except for the financial statements, which have not yet been finalised.

That is the explanation. I apologise to the house that I have not brought them in earlier. I would obviously have wanted to bring them in earlier, but until the Auditor-General has completed his work I am unable to comply. My apologies to the house, but until he finishes I cannot do what you want me to do.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH: Point of order: without wishing to engage in debate, Madam Speaker, I would simply reiterate my request that you respond to the house, as Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. If you can bring me that information, member for Waite.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: A further point of order, Madam Speaker: when you consider that, could you please consider whether the Speaker has a role in enforcing legislation in regard to ministers, as opposed to the standing orders, or whether in fact it is the obligation of the Speaker to enforce the standing orders and, as long—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —as a matter is tabled under section 198, other legislation is not within the purview of the Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Thank you; I will take that into consideration also and report back.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You have had your say.