Question Time

Enterprise Patient Administration System

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister advise the house what the total project cost is for the electronic patient administration system up to June 2021? The Auditor-General's Report released yesterday stated, and I quote, 'There is a detailed budget for the EPAS Program extending out to June 2021.' What is it?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:08): Mr Speaker, I also quote, to answer that question, the Auditor-General. The Auditor-General says:

Until EPAS is fully implemented at all in-scope sites, the full costs and benefits…cannot be accurately determined.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Premier, point of order?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes, can I move a point of order, Mr Speaker, about the manner in which these questions are being asked? On every question time that we've had, a point of order—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is called to order for interjecting. I am waiting to hear the Premier's point of order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The point of order is this, sir: in every question time we have had this week, the Leader of the Opposition has begun with a question and then immediately a cacophony of noise has drowned out the answer.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta will be seated. The Premier's point of order is that he can't hear the minister's answer because of the barrage of interjections from the leader, and I uphold the point of order. There is a certain fin-de-siècle quality about the Leader of the Opposition's contributions.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Morialta.

Mr GARDNER: I ask you to check the Hansard when you have time to reflect, look at what the Premier said and identify if that is indeed the way he characterised what was a so-called point of order.

The SPEAKER: It was a valid point of order because under the standing orders, you will be astonished to know, is a provision (standing order 142) that when a member is speaking no-one may make a noise or disturbance or converse aloud.

Mr Marshall: He has sat down, sir, with no answer to the chamber after the Premier said that we—

The SPEAKER: The Premier's point of order was clearly under that standing order, or under standing order 131, 'A Member may not interrupt another Member who is speaking.' These standing orders are part of the tradition of the house and, frankly, they are so obvious that they do not need to be specified. This better be a point of order.

Mr GARDNER: Can points of order now be put forward as impromptu speeches without having to refer to any particular standing order, as the Premier did before?

The SPEAKER: A point of order can be put forward without nominating the precise standing order, although that is desirable, where it is plain what the content of the point of order is. Further, I am advised that a point of order may be about the longstanding practice of the house, and what we have inherited from the House of Commons, and not specified in standing orders, in which case it would be impossible to nominate a standing order.

Mr GARDNER: We are happy with your new ruling, sir.

The SPEAKER: Well, I am happy that you're happy. The member for Newland.