Royal Adelaide Hospital Site Redevelopment

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:11): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier update the house on what action the government is taking to create a new innovation hub at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site and how this will revitalise the East End?

The SPEAKER: Yes, I would like to know, too. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:11): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I rise to talk about our plans for the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site. This is a very exciting precinct—in fact seven hectares right in the very centre of the city. I think it is unequivocally the most attractive space within any capital city around Australia that is ready for redevelopment at the moment, and that is exactly and precisely what we will be doing. We are looking forward to outlining in real detail our plans for that site.

One major component of that site will be the adaptive re-use of the heritage buildings on the south-west corner. We very much value the heritage properties on that site. There are four buildings across the front, on North Terrace—the Bice Building, the McEwin Building, the Allied Health Services Building and the Women's Health Centre—which will all be refurbished. We will do that as quickly as possible. We will turn those buildings and the two behind that run down Frome Road—the Eleanor Harrald and the Margaret Graham buildings—into the most exciting precinct for start-up and entrepreneurship and innovation and acceleration that exists anywhere in Australia, maybe anywhere in the world.

I was delighted the other day to learn from Mr Hanlon, who is the head of Renewal SA, that the total square metreage constitutes 23,500 square metres of new space that we can dedicate to creating jobs in South Australia. And we want to create jobs in South Australia because we want to give our young people a future here in South Australia. Too many of our young people are finishing school or university, and they have a very good qualification, but they are not finding work in the South Australian economy.

If we look at the statistics in recent years, sir, I think you will be concerned to know, and the parliament should be extraordinarily concerned to know, that the net interstate migration for 18 to 34 year olds in South Australia has been more than 12,000 out of South Australia over the last five years. This is not only a massive blow to the economy in the short term but a disaster in the longer term, so we've got to turn that around and we've got to do that as quickly as possible. That is why we will be investing significant dollars into the adaptive re-use of those buildings. We will be looking to activate that site as quickly as possible.

This is a partnership. It is a partnership between the work that Renewal SA are doing on that site, with the demolition of some of the buildings that are no longer required on that site, and then the refurbishment of those buildings plus the work of the Department for Industry and Skills, led by the minister, who is doing an outstanding job, pulling together exactly how we are going to direct and populate that site. We have decided to go with a chief entrepreneur and not have a university-led precinct or a government-led precinct but a precinct that is curated, if you like, by the private sector around new business start-up, entrepreneurship and innovation. I for one am very, very excited about this.

You might ask the question, sir—those opposite wouldn't—but you might ask the question, sir, and I would be happy to answer it in anticipation: when is this going to occur? I am delighted to answer that question, sir, thank you very much. The answer to that question is: as soon as possible. In fact, we will have people on that site by the end of this financial year in relation to the redevelopments that are occurring with the Margaret Graham Building and the Eleanor Harrald Building. Then, by the end of this year, we should have people into the Allied Health Building, which will be refurbished. I am excited, you should be excited, every single person in this parliament and, indeed, every person in this state should be excited about the possibilities that we will be able to derive from this wonderful site.