Central Adelaide Local Health Network

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:39): Supplementary: can the minister outline to the house how many chief executives and acting chief executives the Central Adelaide Local Health Network has had in the past two years?

Dr McFetridge: Take your socks off.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett is called to order. The minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:40): We have had obviously David Panter, who resigned recently, and then we have had an acting chief executive take his place. Unfortunately, she was not able to act for the entire period we would have liked to have had, so the chief executive of Country Health has been acting in her place. Both of those acting chief executives were stellar chief executives or executives in the health system and have done a fantastic job—both of them far more competent than the failed Leader of the Opposition and I would hold them up above the Leader of the Opposition any day when it comes to competence.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call to order the Minister for Health, who made an entirely redundant remark about the leader.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I have enormous esteem for both of these women and, if certain people want to, in a very cowardly way, cast aspersions on two stellar executives and then have the cowardice to deny it, it is quite galling to listen to. I have nothing but admiration for these two women and, when the new chief executive takes her place, she will also be a stellar chief executive in that role. Chief executive of a hospital local health network, I think, is probably one of the most difficult jobs in government, and I think the chief executives and the new chief executive will do a fabulous job in what is a very, very difficult role.

The SPEAKER: Having been a minister, I value loyalty of ministers to their public servants and I understand his indignation that he felt the leader was reflecting on them—readers of Hansard will make their own assessment—but it does not give the minister the right to make pejorative remarks about the leader and that is why I called him to order. The leader.