Health Budget

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:43): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier accept responsibility for the health budget overspend of $258 million this financial year?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:44): We are very proud to see in our budget a $1.6 billion increase since we came to government in the health budget in South Australia. We are investing in creating the very best health system that we possibly can in South Australia; we believe the people of South Australia deserve it. What we saw under the previous government, of course, was their absolutely horrendous and failed Transforming Health, which removed services and cut back services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Modbury Hospital, Noarlunga Hospital and closed the Repat hospital and basically left us with a completely inadequate health system in South Australia.

By contrast, what we see in the budget that is being presented is a massive investment into capital both in terms of addressing some of the urgent and overdue components of Country Health maintenance programs and also massive investments into The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Repat hospital and Modbury Hospital. We are very pleased with the capital investment that we have made.

In terms of any budget overspend, I note that in this current financial year there is an overspend of around $95 million, and I accept that that is unacceptable. But can I make the point to the house that: we are working through the basket case of a health system that we inherited from those opposite. I note that the member for Kaurna, who is asking this question, was the previous adviser to the minister, the architect for Transforming Health. The Leader of the Opposition, who was the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Wasn't Hill the architect of Transforming Health? This is one of the things: nobody wants to take responsibility.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It was somebody else.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The member Kaurna wants to deny that he ever advised the previous minister for health, the Hon. John Hill, who was, of course, the architect of Transforming Health. Now he wants to distance himself: 'Nothing to do with me.' It was such a failed program that he would love to forget about it.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: debate.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The question was about the $95 million overspend this financial year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There are elements of SA Health that still need to be brought back into budget control. The primary areas that need to be addressed are the overspend in the Central Adelaide Local Health Network and SA Pathology and, of course, Medical Imaging. I am happy to update the house and let them know that, in terms of South Australian Medical Imaging, we believe that this is now back in control.

We are very pleased with the progress that has been made to bring this component of SA Health back into alignment. We have a program of works with regard to SA Pathology, and we are hoping that they are going to also be able to bring themselves back into alignment with the report that was provided to the government earlier this year.

With regard to the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, we are encouraged. Progress is being made. I think I have already updated the house on some of the progress that is being made. If we look at what we have inherited from those opposite, I think it is pretty clear that it was out of control in terms of cost and also in terms of performance.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It was running about 30 per cent above the National Efficient Price. In the six months to the end of last year—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —that came down to 21 per cent. It's still well above where it should be, but we believe we have the controls and the personnel and the culture in place to make sure that we can return this budget to being in a balanced situation.

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned. I will give him one more question.