KordaMentha Report

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:34): My question is to the Premier. When will the government close 90 hospital beds in the next seven months, including the immediate closure of 40 winter beds, as stated in the corporate liquidator KordaMentha's diagnostic report to government? With your leave—

The SPEAKER: Would the member for Kaurna like leave to introduce facts to the house?

Mr PICTON: Yes, please.

Leave granted.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am trying to be fair.

Mr PICTON: Thank you, sir. The KordaMentha diagnostic report refers to an interim strategy at CALHN that includes, and I quote, 'Flex down 90 beds by June 2019, commencing with 40 winter beds. Target benefit $7.9 million.'

The Hon. Z.L. Bettison: Cut, cut, cut.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has the call. The member for Ramsay will not say 'cut, cut, cut', and she is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:35): My answer is the same as last time: we will have the requisite number of beds. Those beds are—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Those opposite are being mischievous as per usual. They had 16 years and they delivered very, very expensive and poor outcomes for the people of South Australia. Let's be quite clear: South Australia has the highest per capita expenditure in terms of health with the worst outcomes.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It takes a certain sort of arrogance and incompetence—

The Hon. V.A. Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Deputy leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —now, that's an impressive combination—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —to actually argue for continued wasteful expenditure. Because when you waste money in your health budget you can't spend it on the services that the people of South Australia deserve. We've got a completely different approach: we are putting patients first. We are putting the people of South Australia first.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hurtle Vale is warned for a second and final time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We are being backed by the clinicians. We are being backed by the people who are working in this area.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Most importantly, we are being backed by the people of South Australia. We won that election, they rejected your plan, they wanted somebody to fix your mess—and that's precisely what we are doing.

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!