Motions

Repatriation General Hospital

Debate resumed.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (12:54): It would come as no surprise to this house that I support this motion by the member for Morphett. It is a good motion. In saying that, I accept the reality that the government have made a decision on the Repat and that they will proceed with that decision, no doubt. The election is nearly two years away, but let me tell the house that it will not be forgotten.

The member for Elder and the member for Fisher will have this brought back to them in shovelfuls during the election campaign. I am not sure of their position on this. I would have thought they would have enough political nous to realise it is going to be a disaster for them, particularly after former premier Rann vowed and declared it would never close. I am informed that I have 700 vets in my electorate. The minister came in here a while ago in a pique of self-indulgence and proceeded to try to lecture this side of the house about what a knowledgeable gentleman he is, what wonderful decisions have been made and how the mainstream ex-servicemen's organisation was behind it.

Well, let me tell you—and I am sure the Deputy Speaker knows some of these groups well—that in my electorate I have the RSL, and I am a great supporter of the RSL and always have been. My father, godfather, grandfather and uncle were all members and it is a great institution. I also have members of the Vietnam Veterans' Federation. I also have members of the Vietnam Veterans Association. I have the South Coast Veterans Association who meet this afternoon, and I can tell you what they think about this. I have representatives of Fields of Blue. I am patron of the Fleurieu National Servicemen's Association.

I can tell this house what they think of this idea. They think it is preposterous. There may well be members amongst them who are supportive of it, and I accept that, but overwhelmingly the veterans of South Australia find the decision to close the Repat a complete public outrage. That was brought to this house's attention over weeks and months by what took place out the front of this house by those people who slept out there 24 hours a day through rain, hail, storm and sunshine and protested. It was brought by the numbers of people who signed the petition; it was 120,000 or so from memory. It was the greatest petition that has ever come in here.

So, do not try to sit on the other side of the house and say you have made a very clever move. Do not do that. The member for Morphett is justified in bringing his motion into the house. He is speaking for a majority of the veterans who find this a disgusting act of betrayal by this Weatherill government, this pathetically inadequate Minister for Health and an even more pathetically inadequate Minister for Veterans Affairs who is lower than a snake's guts in my view. They find it is just an appalling decision.

It will haunt the Labor Party. On its own, it may bring down a couple of seats. Who knows? They will have to find a rearguard action. On top of that, we have a health minister who cannot even tell us when the Royal Adelaide Hospital is going to open; that is how absurd it is. They are going to close the Repat, sell it off, take people out of there who have been able to go there for generations, including the reducing numbers of World War II vets who are in their 90s. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 12:59 to 14:00.