Women's and Children's Hospital

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (15:23): Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier release all advice the government has received in relation to costings for a new women's and children's hospital? If not, why don't the people of South Australia deserve to see what advice you have been provided?

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Industry will not interject. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (15:23): Thank you very much. Of course, the shadow minister well knows that the government is doing a body of work. We have appointed an expert panel to look at the co-location of the Women's and Children's Hospital with the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, in accordance with best practice and the best available advice from the AMA and other clinicians right across South Australia.

It is interesting to note that this is exactly the same position that the previous government held back in 2013. They then told the people of South Australia they could build a new co-located 300-bed women's and children's hospital on the new Royal Adelaide Hospital site for $600 million. Now, of course, the new shadow minister, who's elbowing his way down onto the front bench, pushing people out left, right and centre, is making all sorts of allegations, pretty much embarrassing himself on a daily basis—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: He's new to the task, and he's enthusiastic if nothing else. Can I just say, we thank you for raising the question. It is an important area of public policy. We would like to see the people of South Australia get the very best health care possible. That's why the AMA lobbied us, as they lobbied you. Unlike those opposite, though, we listened to the AMA. We listened to the doctors and nurses who wanted best practice.

In fact, I think in South Australia, Adelaide is the only mainland capital where there isn't a co-location, and that is something that we really shouldn't be proud of. We've got to work very hard to do that work, so we appointed an expert panel to look at this project. That's being headed up by Jim Birch. May I just say that the government was roundly applauded when we made the announcement that Jim Birch would be heading up this expert task force. That task force will of course look at multiple scenarios to co-locate those hospitals. That task force will report before the end of the year. I note that in recent times the opposition has been throwing around a document which says that the new hospital would cost $1.8 billion. Well, of course, it would have cost $1.8 billion if they were in.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: In fact, sir—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —that would have been their starting point. That's what they would have promised. Their first promise—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —was $600 million. Now it's $1.8 billion. By the time they build it, not satisfied with building the third most expensive building in the history of the world, they want to get the second or maybe even the first most expensive hospital in the world. By their calculations, each of those beds—

Mr Picton: That'll come back to bite you, Steven.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —would cost $6 million per bed. We know what the private sector is building hospitals for at the moment. We know how incompetent those are with major projects. They make lots of promises in this area. They haven't delivered them.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We're not going to listen to those opposite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —on costings. Who would? What we are going to be doing is the work that is necessary. We will report back to the people of South Australia as soon as we possibly can, but we won't be tabling documents now. We won't be prosecuting this via the media. What we will be doing is the detailed work to make sure that we have the very best option available to deliver the best health care in the nation.