Royal Adelaide Hospital

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Health. Will doctors be able to retrieve the patient records at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital on demand at all times from the offset storage facility where the paper records are apparently going to be kept?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:16): What they will have is access to the paper records they need to safely look after their patients. That is what is available, and we are working through that with clinicians to ensure that it is available. Can I say, Mr Speaker, that it gives me enormous pleasure to come in here and answer questions about the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, because it is something this side of the house are enormously proud of.

For members of the opposition who want to take every opportunity to run down the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and to criticise the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, they will go into the next election wearing their criticisms like a crown of thorns. They will be held up to ridicule by the people of South Australia, because they have been criticising this project for the last five to six years, ever since it has been announced.

The SPEAKER: Minister, the Liberal Party has not been in government since early 2002; it is not responsible to the house for anything that I can think of. Member for Florey.