Royal Adelaide Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): Can the minister perhaps provide an explanation to the house about the difference between a default and a defect?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:32): What is before the Supreme Court, and what the Supreme Court has been hearing over the last few days, is around a jurisdictional question of the roles of the independent certifier and the independent expert. Both of those are pretty technical legal matters, but they do go to the very heart of the protection the contract provides to taxpayers, the importance of getting these things fixed in a timely manner and the protection of the rights of the government under the contract. That's what that is about.

Yes, there are some defects that form part of that. The chiller system is not one of them, but of course the result of the court case will then have ramifications for the government's position with regard to all the other defects that need to be fixed. That's why the court case is important. That's why I am not just going to give in the way the opposition would were they to be in government. That's why I am going to stand up for the rights of South Australian taxpayers.

We have a very strong contract. It does protect the rights of taxpayers. If anyone is in any doubt as to why there is so much agitation on the part of SAHP, you just have to realise that it's because this is costing them a bucket of money and they want to try to extract themselves from their problems. They want the taxpayer to bear the cost that should truly be borne by them. Well, I won't have any part of it.