HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUDGET

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (14:57): My question is again to the Minister for Health and Ageing. What is the current expected budget overrun in this financial year for the Department of Health, including all health capital works? The most recent advice the minister gave the house was a figure of $125 million overrun in the operating budget with an additional $15 million overspend for the Glenside Hospital redevelopment.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (14:58): I thank the member for that question. The estimations that I gave the house on the previous occasion are still the ones that the health department is working on and talking to Treasury about. There are always risks, of course—unforeseen things that may occur—but that is what we are working on; doing everything we can to minimise that.

Mr Hamilton-Smith: That doesn't sound very convincing. Are you going to stick to it?

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I just said that. I said—

Ms Chapman: The $125 million.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Madam Speaker, I just don't understand. I mean, it's not Socratic; they asked me a question and I'm trying to answer it. Yes, the $125 million is the figure that Health believes it will be overrun by by the end of this financial year and I said there are obviously risks associated with that when talking about a $4.7 billion budget. Something could go over—there could be a whole lot of extra people go into the system which we're not anticipating—so there is a whole range of issues that could occur but that's the most recent figure that Health settled on.

In terms of the capital budget it would probably, if anything, be under budget in capital as a result of the odd delay here and there. While there might be a $15 million overrun in relation to the Glenside project which is associated with the discovery of a range of pollutants which weren't anticipated, generally across the board there could be other delays. There is no risk, that I am aware of, of an overrun in the capital budget.