ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL OPEN IDEAS COMPETITION

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:38): My question is to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning. Can the Deputy Premier update the house about the next stage of the design competition for the RAH site?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for his question. I know that he is very interested in this, as are many people around Adelaide. It is very interesting to see that even our great metropolitan newspaper is publishing some of the images and maintaining the interest in this, which is something for which I am very grateful.

As members would know, recently six finalists were shortlisted (six design teams) and these will progress to the next stage. Members should be aware that these six teams were chosen out of 126 people who put in what amount to very elementary desktop entries. They were assessed against the criteria which have been set out in the design competition and a final six of those were selected, not necessarily by reason of them having the most pretty picture. I know that there has been some controversy about some of them, particularly the one with the hill in the middle, but I guess a little bit of controversy spices these things up. I think all of us can expect to see those designs change and be refined significantly before we get to the end of the process.

It is really important also for members to understand that the final six contestants who are now in this competition are required by the rules of the competition to engage with local architecture and landscape firms to work up their final proposal. Irrespective of whether they are from Slovakia or from Melbourne or wherever they are from, they are now engaged in a process whereby they are utilising skills and providing engagement with local people. This is a very, very long way from a slap in the face to local industry, which I know some who obviously do not understand the process have been uninformedly saying that it is.

It would really be helpful if those who go around criticising this competition could actually check the facts before they go into print or make statements, because the fact is that local industry is very much engaged in this process. We are looking toward the end of this next phase. The important thing is that the final contestants are now being given I think $100,000 each to get on with developing their six competing designs, so a large proportion of that money will also be spent here in South Australia, because they are partnering with South Australian architects, landscape designers and so forth. So, it is a very exciting process.

Anybody who has not already been there, I would encourage them to go to Leigh Street. You cannot miss it. It is just opposite the Liberal Party headquarters. It is in the archives building there downstairs. It used to be the auction rooms; people would remember those. Anyway, there is an exhibition of the whole 126 down there, and I would really recommend people go there and have a look, because this is actually building a bit of momentum. I would also encourage all members of the public: please participate in the consultation process. Please let us know—the competition organisers, I mean, not me—what features you think are important for this project, because they are very interested and they are listening now.