Work Health and Safety Audits

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:53): Can the minister confirm for how long the morgue viewing area has been used as an annex to the emergency department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:54): For the last eight years there has been a pitched political battle in this state between—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —this side of the house and the other side of the house over the building a new Royal Adelaide Hospital; a pitched political battle, a street fight in fact, over the issue of whether we need a new hospital.

The SPEAKER: Minister, the member for Finniss has a point of order.

Mr PENGILLY: Sir, I ask you indeed whether the minister is not debating the question.

The SPEAKER: Well, no, I don't think he is. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The opposition for the last eight years have consistently said, 'We do not need a new hospital. It's a waste of money to build a new hospital,' and that we should be doing a patch-up job on the existing hospital. If you need any reason why we need a new hospital and why the government took the step it did seven or eight years ago to build a new hospital, the last six weeks surely provide the answer.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: You can scream me down all you want, but South Australians see right through you.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: South Australians see right through you. They see right through the—

The SPEAKER: Minister, I am not screaming you down, and I don't think the public of South Australia can see through me.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I apologise, sir. They see right through the opposition and, in particular, the Leader of the Opposition, who has opposed for the last seven years the building of a new hospital and now has the gall to come in and criticise the government for the size of the existing emergency department, having consistently opposed the building of a new hospital with a larger emergency department. The Leader of the Opposition can't get through question time just reading a script someone else has provided to him and then trying to scream me down whenever I provide the answer.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta.

Mr GARDNER: The minister has been abusing this process for the last 15 years. He is clearly debating and should be ruled as so.

The SPEAKER: I think the difference between the government and the opposition on the Royal Adelaide Hospital is a legitimate point of difference that can be canvassed when the topic is about the capacity of the old hospital, and to make that a point of order is fragile. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The Leader of the Opposition can't come in here complaining with his crocodile tears about issues of capacity of the emergency department and at the same time be implacably opposed to building the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, which is going to have a bigger emergency department—a much bigger emergency department—to address exactly these issues.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: You can scream me down. I know that's your style, but the public of South Australia are sick of the Leader of the Opposition trying to scream people down. They can see through the Leader of the Opposition; they can see through his double standards.

The SPEAKER: I think the minister has said quite enough, and I hope that anticipates the member for Unley's point of order.

Mr PISONI: I was just concerned that the Minister for Health said that the public was sick of you, sir. I just wanted to ask the minister to withdraw.

The SPEAKER: After 25 years, they are entitled to be. The member for Ashford.