SA Pathology

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): My question is to the Premier. Was it appropriate for the Minister for Health to tell SA Pathology clinicians via talkback radio that one in seven of them would be losing their job?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier has the call. I would like to hear the answer. Members on my left and the Minister for Transport will be quiet. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:21): I never take anything that the Leader of the Opposition says as gospel.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: You haven't even read the report.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education will cease heckling the Leader of the Opposition. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think the Leader of the Opposition sometimes gets a little bit confused with facts, so let's just take a look at the facts. Labor had a plan, the former government had a plan, to cut 323 staff at SA Pathology. That ran through until just before the last election, when they paused their plan to cut 323 staff at SA Pathology. That is a fact. On coming to government, we commissioned PwC to write us a report. They do believe that there needs to be a reduction in staff. It's a significantly lower number than that being pursued by the former government. The upper level of that was around 200 people that would need to be delivered over the next three years.

We are not shirking our responsibility to deliver an efficient pathology service to South Australia at an acceptable cost to the South Australian taxpayer. That money will be reinvested into providing quality health services to the people of South Australia, something the previous government didn't do. They shirked their responsibility to provide the people of this state with an efficient—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: There's a point of order. I will hear the point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It's about debate, sir. The question was about employees being informed on radio they were losing their jobs.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I have the point of order. I believe the answer was relatively germane, and probably until about that point, but I think the Premier has finished.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes.

The SPEAKER: He has finished. The member for Kaurna.