Women's and Children's Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): How can the state government think that the cost of a new 314-bed hospital, to be delivered in 2023, will be $600 million when the Victorian children's hospital, for 330 beds, was delivered two years ago at the cost of $1 billion?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:31): There are considerable benefits from having it co-located and it means there are things we are not going to have to do that would have happened with the other hospitals that the Leader of the Opposition is referring to. So, there are services that can be shared, we don't need to build a new set of services, there is considerable extra capacity at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. It has been designed on the premise that the services be in there to provide for future expansion of the hospital—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: So, yes, I am quite confident in $600 million. As I have always said, it is a preliminary figure, but I would certainly not expect it to be as expensive as a stand-alone build of the type that the Leader of the Opposition is referring to.

Mr MARSHALL: Supplementary.

The SPEAKER: Before that supplementary is asked, the member for Hartley is warned for the second and final time, the member for Heysen is warned for the second and final time, and the member for Unley is called to order. Leader—a supplementary?

Mr MARSHALL: Thank you, sir.