Repatriation General Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:45): Supplementary, sir: have the staff been gagged from speaking to the media under threat of being fired?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:45): It sounds like whatever attempt might have been made it hasn't been particularly successful, but look, this has been put to me. I have made very clear to my department that I will not tolerate any attempt to gag any member or any staff member of SA Health from speaking to the media. I welcome it. This whole process, from the very beginning, has been about engaging clinicians. We've had 600 people, including many of them clinicians from SA Health, in fact probably the majority, at a summit late last year. We’ve engaged them at every point. Certainly, it would seem, frankly, ridiculous to me for any attempt to be made for staff members expressing their opinion on this very important document, but if any evidence can be put to me of anyone attempting to be gagged I will take the appropriate action.