WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Can the minister advise whether the government has sought approval from the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation regarding the sale of the hospital's car park? According to cabinet documents leaked to the opposition, multilevel car parks at the Women's and Children's Hospital will be sold. The government has indicated that the foundation partly owns the car park and its consent for the sale must be sought.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (14:42): Yes, the member is correct, there is a joint ownership. From memory, I think that the Women's and Children's car park is partly owned by the foundation—it might be 20 per cent, or thereabouts; a minority holding. In any event, before we were to proceed with any long-term lease rather than a direct sale we would seek agreement from the minor owners of that long-term lease.

However, we cannot do anything while the matter is still subject to industrial disputation, and the full bench of the Supreme Court is considering the appeal from the PSA, which is claiming that it is somehow a breach of its industrial arrangements. This is an interesting case, which will no doubt be resolved at some future—

Ms Chapman: The High Court, perhaps?

The Hon. J.D. HILL: No doubt in the High Court. The whole vibe of the thing might continue on for some time.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Until that matter is resolved, we cannot really contemplate sale because we will not know what the sale price is until we know what we can charge for car parking. It is really just in a holding pattern. Of course, we would obviously need to talk with that partner, and the whole basis of the long-term lease would be on what is in the financial best interests of the state. We would not make a deal unless it was in our long-term best interest and, if it is in our long-term best interest, I assume that it would also be in the foundation's long-term best interest.