Repatriation General Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister advise the house how much will be paid by the RSL for the Repat site, whether any proposal was received for a private hospital on the site, and whether those other options will be released?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:53): I can't at this stage reveal how much the RSL will be paying for the site because they still have to do due diligence, but I expect that, once that process has been completed, I will be in a position to say what the sale price is. It was a very, very thorough process, contrary to what has been said by the Hon. Stephen Wade, where we invited expressions of interest. We did receive, essentially, three significant proposals, but the RSL proposal was certainly the one that was most in keeping with what we had said were our intentions for the site.

Of course, the RSL has proven runs on the board when it comes to these sorts of developments. They gave a very convincing case to the valuation panel that looked at all of the proposals, and I think this is an absolutely spectacular outcome not only for veterans, because there will be much-needed facilities that veterans in South Australia are looking for on that site, facilities that are better attuned to what the needs of modern veterans are, but indeed facilities for the southern suburbs, for those surrounding communities, this will be very welcome. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the RSL on this magnificent proposal, this magnificent development, which they are going to undertake.