Question Time

Emergency Departments

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): My question is to the Minister for Health. Now that the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine has today called on the state government to 'act immediately in order to address unacceptable levels of strain being experienced in emergency departments throughout South Australia', what action will the minister now take?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:10): There are a number of actions which we are taking, one of which, of course, is the extra beds that we have made open. Also, we are taking action with regard to mental health patients who present at emergency departments, streamlining those mental health patients so that they can go straight to a dedicated mental health ward, rather than having to first go through the emergency department. We have created short-stay beds for mental health patients at the Flinders Medical Centre. All of these things will help to alleviate the current pressure on our emergency departments.

But let's remember that an emergency department is a defined space. The only way you can increase the size of it is by building a new one and that, of course, is exactly what the government is doing. The biggest ever infrastructure spend that a South Australian government has ever undertaken is happening half a mile down the road in the new Royal Adelaide Hospital which will, of course, have a massively increased emergency department.

What have members of the opposition been saying about the new Royal Adelaide Hospital? Stephen Wade, the opposition spokesman—

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order.

Mr GARDNER: The question being about the minister's response to the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine's statement, clearly the opposition spokesman's response cannot possibly be relevant to answering this question.

The SPEAKER: I will hear the Minister for Health, and I hope he will join up Mr Wade's remarks to the question.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I quote Stephen Wade:

We have argued that the new hospital is expensive and unnecessary—

Ms Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The member for Heysen, I'm glad she still keeps the faith. She hasn't changed her line. There are many things you might say about the member for Heysen, but she is consistent. I quote from Stephen Wade—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —the opposition health spokesman:

We have argued that the new hospital is expensive and unnecessary and that the South Australian people would be better served by the renewal of the Royal Adelaide Hospital on its current site.

Ms Sanderson: Hear, hear!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I'm glad to hear the member for Adelaide call out, 'Hear, hear!' because the member for Adelaide—

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I continue:

The decision to relocate to new facilities remains nonsensical.

The opposition can't have it both ways. They can't come in here complaining that the current emergency department is overcrowded and at the same time—

The SPEAKER: A point of order from the deputy leader.

Ms CHAPMAN: Now the minister is clearly debating. I might add that the words 'the opposition coming in here', etc., is clearly debating this issue.

The SPEAKER: I think that wording is debate, but it is not debate to compare and contrast the existing and the projected emergency departments. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: We have a bigger emergency department opening in 2016, a bigger emergency department which those opposite have consistently opposed and still oppose. They can't have it both ways.