House of Assembly Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2) 53 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Women's Hospital Women's Hospital Mr MARSHALL House of Assembly Dunstan Leader of the Opposition Women's Hospital Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): Thank you. Can the minister provide any plausible explanation to this house and to the people of South Australia why the cost per bed has blown out from $2 million to $4 million between the time that he has presented those costings to the people of this state—$2 million to $4 million? Is there any plausible explanation? The Hon. A. Koutsantonis House of Assembly The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Should we just start shouting back? Is that what you want? The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly Playford Minister for Health Minister for the Arts Minister for Health Industries The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:17): If the Leader of the Opposition will just calm— The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order. The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —the farm, the cost of a hospital is not driven solely by the number of beds. A hospital is more than just the beds that are in it. Ms Sanderson interjecting: The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: A modern hospital has other things as well. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is warned for the second and final time. The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: A hospital has more than just beds. The Leader of the Opposition might be interested to know that a hospital has operating theatres or technical suites. A hospital has medical imaging. A hospital generally has pathology labs. A hospital has many, many other services—outpatient services, outpatient clinics. It is not just beds. I know that this is a difficult issue for the poor old Leader of the Opposition to get his head around, but a hospital really is more than just its beds, and you cannot come up with a simple equation whereby a hospital's cost is driven by the number of beds it has. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Minister for Health, I have sought advice on your reference to the Leader of the Opposition as a 'demented banshee'. It has been held unparliamentary to refer to a member as a 'demented parrot'. There is no reference to 'banshee'; therefore, I am ruling it in. The minister will withdraw and apologise for the reference to 'demented'. The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Happy to withdraw, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: No— The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I withdraw, sir. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Just withdraw. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Just withdraw. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: No, the minister realised his error and immediately corrected himself to a plain withdrawal, as I required the member for Hammond to do yesterday.