Repatriation General Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:04): My question is to the Minister for Health. Does the minister accept that the 1995 commonwealth and state governments contract binds the state government to keep 'the Repatriation General Hospital as a centre of excellence, maintaining its role as an acute care teaching institution with links to Flinders University'?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:04): The first thing I would say is South Australia has the last repatriation hospital in Australia so, if there was such a contract, it doesn't exist in any other state because ours is the last existing Repat. But I will tell you what: if the commonwealth wants to talk about contracts, I am more than happy to have a discussion with them about contracts because I recall a contract called the National Health Reform Agreement, where the commonwealth government promised that they would increase funding of state public hospitals rising to 50 per cent.

What happened to that contract? Without any consultation, without any negotiation, in the last federal budget it was torn up, completely repudiated by the current federal Liberal government. The mates of this lot tore up that contract—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —and the commonwealth funding for state public hospitals, which instead of rising to 50 per cent, reduced to almost 20 per cent. So I'm more than happy to have a conversation with the commonwealth government about contracts.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order and, before that point of order, I called the Minister for Health to order for referring to Her Majesty's opposition has 'this lot'. The deputy leader.

Ms CHAPMAN: I was on this occasion jumping to your defence, Mr Speaker—in particular, the reference that your friends are in Canberra.

The SPEAKER: I had a very nice lunch with Tony Abbott once.

Ms CHAPMAN: That may be so, but I would have thought, if that's not accurate, that is, that the federal Coalition aren't your mates, then that is an inappropriate reference.

The SPEAKER: And I like some of them very much. The leader.