Repatriation General Hospital

Mr MURRAY (Davenport) (14:49): Thank you, Mr Speaker, for that information.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Davenport has the call.

Mr MURRAY: I am delighted to address my question regarding the Repat to the Premier. Could the Premier update the house about the release of the Repat master plan and how the state government is working with the commonwealth government on reactivating the Repat?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:50): I would like to thank the member for Davenport for his question. He has a long and abiding interest in the Repat site, as does his predecessor, who I see has just snuck into the gallery. This morning, I was joined by the member for Davenport, the member for Elder, the member for Gibson, the member for Waite and also three federal members as we made our commitment as a state government to reinvest $40 million worth of state taxpayer money into the revitalisation of this iconic precinct here in South Australia.

You would be more than aware, sir, that it wasn't that long ago that the previous government said that they were going to close the entire Repat site. This took more than 100 beds out of the southern system and has caused many of the problems and much of the situation that unfortunately exists down at the Flinders Medical Centre now.

Mr Duluk interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite is warned.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We have announced that we are putting $40 million back into the Repat.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We tore up the deal that was done by the previous government. In fact, they did two deals. They did the first deal, which was one of those ironclad deals. That fell over, so they did another deal. Of course, we were in the happy position to be able to tear up that contract, terminate that contract, when we came to government. The federal government were there because they, too, are a believer in that site. I was joined today by the federal health minister, Greg Hunt; the federal ageing minister, Ken Wyatt; and of course the local member, the member for Boothby, Nicolle Flint, who have all been advocating for improved services on that site. That is exactly and precisely what we are going to have there. What we are going to see before very long—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —is a new state-of-the-art facility for brain and spinal rehabilitation patients in South Australia. This has been long overdue, and we will be very happy to open those facilities as soon as possible. There will also be an 18-bed specialised facility to care for some of the most vulnerable South Australians who are suffering extreme behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. We are also going to see a new state-of-the-art gymnasium for brain and spinal injury patients here in South Australia, not only patients but also elite athletes, as well as a town square in the heart of the Repat to create a community hub and outdoor space.

None of this would have been possible without the very strong support of the entire South Australian community. I want to commend members who I have already identified but, in addition to them, I would like to reference the people who worked down on that Repat site. They were there this morning. We had a huge number of people turn up: past patients, clinicians, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, people who were groundsmen, people who worked on the site and people who cooked the meals.

There was a fantastic culture at that site, a focus on the people who were the patients on that site, but nobody more so than the veterans. They were there this morning in number. In particular, I would like to acknowledge and put on the public record my thanks to Augustinus Krikke, who led the campaign on the steps of this parliament to keep the Repat open. There were veterans on the steps for 161 nights. That was their commitment to keeping the Repat open. They had a petition that had more than 100,000 signatures; in fact, it was the largest petition in our state's history. We stopped the closure, and now we are getting on with the very important task of revitalising this important precinct.

Mr PICTON: Point of order, Mr Speaker.