House of Assembly Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1) 53 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Nurse Staffing Levels Nurse Staffing Levels Mr MARSHALL House of Assembly Dunstan Leader of the Opposition Nurse Staffing Levels Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (15:07): As the corrections department reversed cuts to 49 prison officers, has the Minister for Health lobbied the Treasurer to reverse the cut of 200 nurses that is factored into the state's health budget? The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly Playford Minister for Health Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Minister for the Arts Minister for Health Industries Nurse Staffing Levels The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:07): The opposition cannot have it both ways. On the one hand they are criticising the emergency services levy which, of course, is offsetting the massive cuts inflicted upon the health system by the federal government. They will criticise the ESL for the removal of the remissions. Members interjecting: The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I know you don't like to hear it—run away, run away, run away. They don't like to hear it. The simple fact is that— Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Is the point of order going to be that the Minister for Health should not refer to the presence or absence of the leader in the chamber? Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: I was actually going to say that he shouldn't be reflecting that you don't like being here, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Yes, well, thank you. The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: If the Leader of the Opposition doesn't like to be here, sorry sir. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Yes. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Now the member is debating. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Has the minister finished? The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I conclude on this point: the opposition cannot have it both ways: they either support what the government is going to do with the ESL or they say that we should cut even harder into our health budget because of the amount of money that has been removed by Canberra.