House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Health System HEALTH SYSTEM Mrs REDMOND House of Assembly Heysen Leader of the Opposition HEALTH SYSTEM Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:04): Thank you, Madam Speaker— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mrs REDMOND House of Assembly Mrs REDMOND: —my question is, again, to the Minister for Health and Ageing. If the 114 hospital beds that the government is closing were not necessary and removing them will not reduce health services, why are those beds there in the first place? The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly Kaurna Minister for Health and Ageing Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Minister for the Arts The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (15:05): Well, I understand why the Leader of the Opposition does not understand a lot about the health portfolio—she has only had it for about three days. But can I just let her know— Mrs Redmond interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mrs Redmond interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! You have asked the minister a question; allow him to answer it. The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: You see, the trouble is, if I can be a little analytical, the kind of questions that the leader asks are always smart-alec questions designed to be clever, rather than designed to— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: —elicit information. Mrs REDMOND House of Assembly Mrs REDMOND: Point of order: standing order 98. In what way is the minister's comment not debate? The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Thank you. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: The point is, Madam Speaker, I have pointed out to the house that, by changing the process by which we discharge patients, we can make incredible productivity improvements in the health system, and that is what we are attempting to do. I find it risible that opposition members would be asking questions about health cuts and the numbers of staff in our hospitals when their plan is to reduce by 25,000 to 35,000 the number of public servants in our state. The Hon. A. Koutsantonis House of Assembly The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: You said it yourself, Isobel. The Hon. J.D. HILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.D. HILL: That's what they said. That's what honest Issy said. The Hon. A. Koutsantonis House of Assembly The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: You said it yourself. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Thank you. Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Madam Speaker, No. 98, debate. It is not about our policy. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: I think the minister— The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN House of Assembly Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: The question is not— The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Thank you. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! I think the minister has finished his answer, anyway. The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The minister for mines, order! The member for Taylor.