Royal Adelaide Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): Supplementary, sir.

The SPEAKER: Well, asking those kind of questions is part of the fun, isn't it?

Mr MARSHALL: Indeed.

The SPEAKER: The leader.

Mr MARSHALL: How does this figure of $350 million to $396 million per year every year for the next 30 years compare with the cost at the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:41): Well, because we're getting a new hospital—

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Newland is called to order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: We're having a new hospital and heaven forbid that a new hospital might actually cost a little more than the old hospital. Yes, of course it's going to be more expensive than running the old hospital and that is—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The opposition would be quite content for us to sit in a facility, the better part of which was built in the 1950s with shared wards—

Mr PISONI: Point of order: the minister doesn't speak for the opposition and he is regularly referring to what the opposition would do incorrectly, sir.

The SPEAKER: That is a bogus point of order, for which I warn the member for Unley for the second and final time. Of course, it could have been formulated as a valid point of order, but wasn't. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: We have an old hospital, the best part of which was built in the 1950s, which doesn't meet the needs of 21^st century health care. It has large—

Dr McFetridge interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The member for Morphett is like the Japanese soldier still on the island, no-one had told him the war was over, and the Leader of the Opposition is probably there with him. They are still on the island, they're still fighting on behalf of the member for Heysen from two elections ago.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: standing order 98 certainly applies.

The SPEAKER: Yes, an excellent analogy but out of order. I uphold the point of order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The existing Royal Adelaide Hospital, the best part of which was built in the 1950s, with large wards with, generally, about six people all having to share the same ward, all having to share the same toilet. Yes, it is going to be more expensive because we are going to have a new hospital, a state-of-the-art hospital. I for one am not satisfied with the situation where six patients, basically, all have to share the same room, the same toilet. It's not good for infection control.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Because you couldn't upgrade it. Here we go, we're going back to the future, 2010. We went through these arguments leading into the 2010 election. I can talk all day about the reasons why we couldn't redevelop the existing hospital. I remember the former minister for health going on at length about the reasons for not being able to redevelop the old hospital. It would mean that the old hospital would effectively be a construction site. I think, at the time, the sort of time we're talking about that it would take was 10 to 20 years to redevelop the hospital. Let's remember—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Here we go: back to 2010, back to the future. Someone has to explain to those on the other side that it has been a very long time since the member for Heysen—

The Hon. J.R. Rau: In the DeLorean.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: In the DeLorean, that's right. They have to get off the island. Someone has to tell the opposition that they lost this argument two elections ago.

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I first of all warn the member for Morphett and the member for Taylor. The Leader.