Royal Adelaide Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Health. Who will be making the final sign-off on whether the new Royal Adelaide Hospital is safe to open, and who will be taking ultimate responsibility for this? With your leave and that of the house, sir, I will explain.

The SPEAKER: Yes, it's conventional, having phrased it in the correct form, to continue with the explanation.

Mr MARSHALL: Earlier this week the minister stated that the new Royal Adelaide Hospital would not open unless it was safe for patients, while this morning SASMOA and senior clinicians reiterated claims first made in April of this year that keeping patient records off site would pose a patient safety issue.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:19): It's not unusual for SASMOA to make rather inflammatory and inaccurate comments. I have to say that I think the doctors in this state have been let down by the leadership of SASMOA. It pains me to say it, but I do not think that SASMOA is really at all representative of the opinions of the doctors who work in our health system. I think those doctors have been badly let down by the leadership of SASMOA.

However, that point aside, the question was: who will take responsibility? I guess, ultimately, in a ministerial sense, it will be my responsibility and I will take full responsibility but, of course, I will do so upon the advice of experts in the system: clinicians who will provide me—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —with advice about the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is on two warnings.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Clinicians will provide me with advice about the safety of the hospital. Obviously, I'm not a doctor and I'm not an expert and it would be rather silly for me to be making technical judgements, but if those doctors provide me with the advice that it's safe then, of course, we will move in and I will take ultimate political responsibility for the safety of that hospital.