Health Budget

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:13): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Today the Premier and I attended a rally on the steps of Parliament House. This rally was organised by the SA Health Alliance, a coalition of South Australia's leading health unions, health consumers, community groups and service providers.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: It's nice to hear some activity opposite. They couldn't be bothered turning up to the rally, but nice to hear a bit of interest now, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, be seated! If the minister continues to use his ministerial statement not to share with the house public affairs and affairs of administration but instead uses it to beat the opposition over the head, I imagine that leave will be withdrawn; and I warn him a first time.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The rally was part of a day of action organised to protest against an unprecedented attack on South Australia's healthcare system. That attack is by the federal government and involves vicious cuts that will remove more than $600 million from our state health budget over the next four years.

The Alliance and rally involve people from diverse areas of our health system, including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australian Medical Association, Mental Health Coalition, South Australian Council of Social Service, SA Salaried Medical Officers Association, United Voice South Australian branch, SA Network of Drug and Alcohol Services, Public Service Association of South Australia, Health Services Union, Public Health Association, Health Consumers' Alliance of South Australia, Ambulance Employees Association, Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia, Anglicare, and Rural Doctors' Association of SA. The rally involved many of our hardworking nurses, doctors, ambulance workers and other health staff who want this state's high standards of care to be maintained.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: It also involved many individual South Australians who, like this government, understand the importance of quality health care and refuse to accept the withdrawal of millions of dollars from our public hospitals and the healthcare system.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: When the Leader of the Opposition was invited to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the doctors, nurses, paramedics and other allied health professionals, he refused. The Leader of the Opposition refused to stand up with our doctors and nurses and be counted with them, unlike his—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order—

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —interstate Liberal colleagues.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Has the minister finished?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I would finish by saying the Leader of the Opposition is gutless—absolutely gutless.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is warned a second and final time, and he will withdraw.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I withdraw, sir.

The SPEAKER: There are many opposition members who might have been warned during that diatribe, but they were not because they were sorely provoked.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Point of order, sir?

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: I am just wondering what the Speaker's approach is going to be to ministers who make inflammatory remarks for the purposes of gaining the media grab tonight only to then withdraw them, and whether the Speaker is intending to ask the media not to report comments that are withdrawn.

The SPEAKER: I would hope the media would responsibly and ethically report a withdrawal, just as they comply with the Evidence Act and report an acquittal in a criminal case they have extensively covered.