Health Industries SA

Ms COOK (Fisher) (13:55): My question is for the Minister for Health. Could the minister advise of the benefits of South Australia's biomedical and health precinct in Adelaide's West End?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (13:55): I thank the member for Fisher for her extraordinary interest in all things health. I had the great pleasure of being taken by the member for Fisher around her old stomping ground, the Flinders Medical Centre, last week, and very pleasing and informative it was.

South Australia is shaping up to become the home of the biggest health and biomedical precinct in the Southern Hemisphere with the opening of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital alongside the flagship South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide's West End. Our new Royal Adelaide Hospital is the centrepiece of the precinct and is central to an innovative health sector. The state government and our state's universities have invested significantly in the development of the West End precinct, employing thousands of staff right here in the heart of Adelaide's CBD.

The precinct integrates health care, education and research into one central hub which, along with the hospital, incorporates the magnificent SAHMRI building, the University of Adelaide's medical and nursing school—currently being constructed to the east of SAHMRI—the University of South Australia's new medical research facility, and potentially a new SAHMRI 2. The precinct is a centre of excellence, leading the nation with international best practice models and teaching, research and healthcare delivery.

Its strong commercialisation focus will drive research, develop new industries and attract foreign investment, as well as create jobs for an estimated 8,000 South Australians. It will deliver education to an estimated 6,000 students at any given time. Building on our significant investment in the state's health and biomedical precinct, the government has established Health Industries South Australia to generate inbound investment, stimulate exports and create employment in our rapidly developing health and biomedical sector.

To achieve this, Health Industries SA leverages the precinct's outstanding infrastructure, as well as the state's reputation for world-class health and medical education and the groundbreaking research and innovation of our universities, hospitals, research facilities and industry. The precinct's proximity to the Adelaide Riverbank Precinct is critical to its success. The recently upgraded and extended Adelaide Convention Centre, the world-class Adelaide Oval and the Adelaide Festival Centre, including the soon to be upgraded Adelaide Festival Plaza, draw together many opportunities for conferences, tourism and the arts.

All this is made possible by the government's vision and forward thinking over the last 10 years. Commentary in the past few days over the government's recently announced plans for the old RAH site has led to some bizarre calls for an international health precinct on that site. All it takes is a short stroll further west of that place to realise that such calls are, quite frankly, laughable.