ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (15:15): My question is again to the Minister for Health. Has he developed a plan to relocate the University of Adelaide's Medical School, the Robinson Institute, the School of Dentistry, the Department of Public Health and the School of Nursing from the university's City East precinct to the City West rail yards site, when will this occur, how much land has been set aside, is it part of the four hectares he mentioned in his answer to the previous question, and what will be the cost to the taxpayer?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (15:15): I think there is about 18 parts to that question, Madam Speaker. I may need more than the four minutes that I have at my disposal.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I think there were about 18 questions there.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: First of all, let me say that the universities of Adelaide and South Australia are developing their own plans to be co-located on the new RAH site, and obviously my department and I have had conversations with them. There is a parcel of land—which is not part of the five hectares that we referred to—which is available for the consortium to develop for a health-related purpose. One of the options would be to put a combined Adelaide University and USA teaching facility there, which would effectively move the medical school from Adelaide and some of the teaching facilities in relation to nursing and allied health, I think, from the USA. So, they are exploring that. I think it would be a great outcome, but it does not affect the issue of the five hectares.

The other issue is the Robinson Institute. The Robinson Institute, which is an outstanding reproduction research institute, is interested in actually moving to the Women's and Children's Hospital site. If we move some of the research capacity at the Women's and Children's, which wants to go to the new SAHMRI, that will create capacity there. So, we are exploring those ideas. What was the other bit? The dental school, was it?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The dental school. We are having discussions with the dental school about its old capital, and it does need to move. Modern thinking is that it would be best to have the teaching chairs out at GP Plus centres. We will still need a central hospital, but we are building extra teaching capacity in places like Noarlunga, which I mentioned today, and other places, as I understand it. So, that is being addressed, but the dental school could easily move from that site. I think that covers all of the issues you were referring to. None of the land—the five hectares, which I said is adjacent to where the new RAH will be—will be taken up by any of those elements, at least under the planning that I have discussed; it is there for extra capacity and for wetlands and so on.