SA Pathology

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:29): Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Does the minister stand by his previous comments that privatising SA Pathology would send regional health services backwards?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:29): I don't automatically accept that quote without the source because—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is called to order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —this is the third time that the member opposite—

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —has tried this line of questioning. It would not surprise me at all if he had taken a quote out of context and used it deliberately misleadingly.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir, two points of order: impugning an improper motive on a member and accusing a member without a substantive motion of misleading the parliament. I ask him to withdraw and apologise.

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order. I think to say that someone is taking something out of context is within a tolerable level of political argy-bargy. I ask the minister, however, to come back to the substance of the question. If I need to, I will ask for the source, but it's not really for me to weigh into the veracity of the facts. The member for Kaurna seems happy to hear the answer. I will listen to the answer as well.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Let me say, on my behalf and on behalf of everybody on this side of the chamber, that SA Pathology is a very important service that does absolutely outstanding work in South Australia. Let me just inform those opposite, because they may not have all heard it on the radio this morning, which is where the Leader of the Opposition has informed us he gets his information. He chooses not to read the report: he just listens to talkback radio. That's where he gets his information from.

So to help those opposite through this very difficult and challenging issue for them, let me just make it very clear: the Minister for Health and Wellbeing is doing exactly what is in the best interest of the people of this state, including—

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —those who work at SA Pathology. He has made it very clear that doctors and nurses will not go without employment because of these considerations. He has also made it very clear that the recommendations are just to work through this issue, to consider it. Those opposite want to beat this up as if not the 323 people they were going to sack a few years ago are going to lose their jobs. They are trying to make it sound as if imminently the current government is going to spread some curse across these people. Nothing could be further from the truth. This will be a concept that's difficult for those opposite. It will challenge them—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —but I ask them to listen. I ask them to think about it and to precis the words of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing: the very best way to deal with competition is to be competitive. He is giving SA Pathology every opportunity to be competitive across the whole area in which it provides services.

SA Pathology does an outstanding job. In many areas, they are absolute leaders. Are there other areas where they could improve? Of course they could; who couldn't? It is very fair for the Minister for Health and Wellbeing in the other place to give them time to go about looking at what they can do to improve, to give them every opportunity to be the best service in the state, in the nation, so that they would have no fear of any changes to the way they work.