Health Services

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Health. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is building health services for the northern residents of Adelaide?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (14:19): I am really pleased to have this question from the member for Newland who I know, as does every member who has heard him talk about this issue, cares deeply and passionately about health services for the people in his community and across northern Adelaide. In particular, a number of times the member for Newland has raised with me as the minister representing the Minister for Health, and other cabinet members, what more we can be doing to support his community, what we are doing to deliver on our election commitments to the people of the north through supports to Modbury Hospital—a hospital, of course, that was downgraded significantly by those opposite. The people of the north—

Mr Brown: Who flogged it?

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Playford!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —now are on a road towards having a revitalised Modbury Hospital, just like the people of the south are appreciative of the opportunities they are having with the revitalised Repat hospital. These are signs of the Marshall Liberal government rebuilding health services and enhancing health services, as opposed to the Leader of the Opposition's plan when he was the health minister: the failed, discredited Transforming Health experiment—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader will cease interjecting.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —which he was seeking to conduct—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader is warned for a second time.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —on the people of South Australia. The evisceration—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right! The minister will resume his seat for a moment. I have warned the leader for a second time. Members on my right and members on my left will not descend into a general exchange of interjections. Those members asking questions are entitled to be heard in silence, just as those answering questions are entitled to be heard in silence. The Minister for Education has the call.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The Marshall Liberal government is focused on building what matters to the people of South Australia, building what matters to people in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. We know there is a massive record infrastructure build across the government in South Australia at the moment. In the health portfolio, we have a $1 billion investment that is currently underway. We also know that the population—

Mr Picton: Cut mental health, cutting nurses, cutting health capital.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —of Adelaide's north is growing. That was the time, during a period of population growth, when the former government decided to reduce services to hospitals like Modbury. The Marshall Liberal government is turning that around. We have $150 million of capital upgrades that will support people in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, delivering better services closer to where people live, closer to where people in the north—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —and the north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide are living, in areas like the member for Newland's, the member for King's and the member for Florey's electorates and my electorate too. Support to Modbury Hospital we are talking about at the moment is delivering a $96 million upgrade, which commenced in October 2019. It is well underway and progress is well on track for the project to be completed in the second half of next year, turning around the evisceration of services that was delivered to the people of the north-eastern suburbs by the former Labor government.

Our redevelopment will deliver a high dependency unit to the hospital, showing our commitment to increasing services to the north and continuing to deliver better care close to the homes of South Australians. It will also deliver a short stay general medical unit; an upgraded surgical unit, including additional procedural spaces; a palliative care unit; a four-bed high dependency unit; and an outpatient department. At a time when employment has never been more important to the people of South Australia, at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has really put massive pressure on jobs right across the world, this project—

Mr Picton: Why are you cutting nurses?

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Kaurna!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —will create more than 400 jobs over the life of the development. At the Lyell McEwin Hospital, the $58 million redevelopment that is going on there—

Mr Picton: Thanks, Peter.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned for a second time.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —will upgrade and expand the emergency department and add a new mental health short stay unit. The redevelopment is in its early stages, with enabling works continuing. These enabling works are critical in supporting the project throughout the construction of the new building. There are temporary corridors for foot traffic being created and new entry and exit points to the hospital, and minor demolition works to enable the new building to connect to the existing are underway.

This project already has had a 205 car park extension delivered to the multideck car park and, at a time when we need jobs more than ever before, 250 jobs are being created to support this project. It is great news for the people of the north and the north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide because we are building what matters to the people of South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister's time has expired.