Royal Adelaide Hospital

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Health. Given that clinicians at the Royal Adelaide Hospital estimate that 20 to 30 per cent less (or fewer) outpatient activities—

The SPEAKER: I am getting somewhere.

Mr MARSHALL: —will be delivered at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital compared with the current site, where will the balance of outpatient activity that cannot be delivered at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital be delivered?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:32): My advice is that 90 per cent of the current outpatient activity at the Royal Adelaide Hospital will be accommodated and is able to be accommodated at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. There will be some outpatient activity which will be provided elsewhere.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Roughly 10 per cent of outpatient activity will be provided elsewhere. We are looking at and working with our clinicians on what the options are with that, but we have existing health sites all around metropolitan Adelaide. We have to remember that—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Unley to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —people coming into the Royal Adelaide Hospital for outpatient appointments will be coming from not only all over metropolitan Adelaide but all over the state. The Royal Adelaide Hospital is not necessarily going to be the most convenient or appropriate place for those outpatient appointments to occur.

With regard to outpatients, I am pretty sure I have spoken to this issue in question time before but, just to reiterate, we are asking our clinicians to provide outpatient service in a way that is actually centred on the patient, in a way that is convenient for the patient. Anyone going to an outpatient appointment at the Royal Adelaide Hospital at the moment will know it's a nightmare. It's very, very hard to find your way. It could be anywhere on a sprawling campus. It can be very—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kavel is warned. He will not amplify his out of order remarks by cupping his hand.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The old Royal Adelaide Hospital is inadequate and this side of the house has been arguing that it's inadequate for the last 10 years. It's the Liberal Party and the Leader of the Opposition who have been in complete denial about the need for a new hospital. We have never made a secret of the fact that the old Royal Adelaide Hospital is inadequate to provide a modern health service.

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: It has been the opposition that's been in denial on this issue.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated. I imagine the member for Unley is as concerned by the Leader of the Opposition's repeated interjections as I am.

Mr PISONI: I didn't actually hear those, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is called to order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I am listening to a point of order from the member for Unley. He has my full attention.

Mr PISONI: I was asking if you could bring the minister back to the substance of the question and stop debating, sir.

The SPEAKER: Well, it was a bit of argy-bargy on both sides. I thought both sides were enjoying it. Minister.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Indeed, Mr Speaker. We make no apologies for the fact that, for the last 10 years on this side of the house, we have been arguing consistently that the old Royal Adelaide Hospital does not live up to the standards—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The infrastructure there does not live up to the standards required of a modern health system. It has been the opposition that has been in denial on this particular issue.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The Leader of the Opposition can scream all he likes. I know he has night sweats about this particular issue because he knows how popular the new Royal Adelaide Hospital is going to be when he has to present to the South Australian voters in March next year, despite the fact that this side of the house has been arguing against it.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order: 98, Mr Speaker.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order. I uphold the point of order. Is the minister finished?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: No, Mr Speaker. To go to an outpatient appointment at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital required traversing a large campus to try to find where to go. At the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, all outpatient clinics are consolidated, and we make no apology for that, because that is what is going to be most convenient for patients presenting to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital for their outpatient appointments.

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: We are doing it because it's good for patients. On this side of the house we are actually interested in the patients who present to the hospital, rather than just sticking up for a few small interests. The Liberal Party just doesn't get it. It doesn't get health in this state, it is not interested in health care in this state.

The SPEAKER: Alas, the member's time has expired. I might have warned the member for Schubert, but I had a lovely weekend in his electorate, so I have decided not to.

Mr Knoll: Did Freeling win anything?

The SPEAKER: I don't think they did, no—no grade, neither firsts, nor reserves, nor under 17s.