SA Health Partnership

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert. The Minister for Agriculture is called to order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport is called to order.

Mr KNOLL: My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Is the minister concerned by public comments made by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia chief Brendan Lyon regarding the government's ability to deliver projects via public-private partnerships, given the government's record in prisons, courts and now hospital projects?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:52): I was very interested to read Mr Brendan Lyon's comments and op-ed piece for The Advertiser in which he was critical of the government. I found it very interesting that at no stage did he bother to contact the government for its side of the story in this dispute, not even so much as a phone call to either my office or to the Minister for Infrastructure's office to ask for our side of the story. He purely had his own agenda.

I have nothing against the fact that he is a former New South Wales Liberal Party staffer. I know that there are former staffers who go into the business world and the consulting world and do very well and are very good at it. But I do find it quite remarkable that, without making any attempt to contact the government to hear what our issues were with regard to the SAHP and the reasons why we are concerned about the hospital as it currently is, he wrote this op-ed piece. I thought it was interesting that he wrote the piece and The Advertiser came to the government and my office for comment. We were very happy to provide the government's side of the story, and The Advertiser I think reported that particular story very fairly.