Flinders Medical Centre

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:21): My question is to the Premier. Premier, is it correct that your media advisers confirmed to journalists after your press conference this morning that there is no net increase in beds at the Flinders Medical Centre?

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:22): I know that the member for Kaurna was, of course, the adviser to the former minister, the minister who belled the cat with regard to the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, but he should appreciate, if he was paying attention during that period of time, that the Flinders Medical Centre sits within the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, which incorporates a range of services, whether they be based at Noarlunga Hospital, downgraded by those opposite; the Repatriation site, closed by the former government; or indeed those services that are provided in the community.

What we are doing in government is making sure that we can have more beds, more doctors, more nurses, more ambulance officers and more services in the community closer to where people live.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: the Premier is now debating three answers in a row and he is frustrating the house and becoming obstructionist. He was asked a very simple question: did staff who answer directly to him, who are contracted to him, tell journalists whether or not there has been an increase in bed numbers or not?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, sir.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I take your point of order, minister, I will deal with the member for West Torrens, so take your seat, please, minister. There seems to be a continuing theme here of raising standing order 98 in relation to debate from answers that the Premier is giving. I am prepared to give the Premier some latitude. I understand the question was: did the Premier's media advisers give some advice to media? The Premier may or may not get to that.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: The standing orders require him to, sir.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: He is answering as he sees fit.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I have no information that I can provide to the house regarding—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, sir. Point of order: standing order 98 says, 'In answering a question, a Minister or other Member replies to the substance of the question'—not the vibe, the substance of it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The substance of the question; and I don't uphold the point of order. The Premier is doing that.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The member for West Torrens is arguing with the Acting Speaker's ruling, when Speaker Atkinson has very clearly laid a precedent. Matters germane to the subject that was the substance of the question are entirely in order in any minister's answer, according to Speaker Atkinson, who repeated that response and would regularly throw out opposition members of parliament for daring to raise further points of order.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you. Sit down, please, minister. Thank you for your advice. That in itself was out of order. Minister, if I can refer you back to standing order 98—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! 'A Minister or other Member replies to the substance of the question—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Leader! The leader is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I was saying—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Premier, I'm not finished yet—'replies to the substance of the question', which I am comfortable the Premier is doing.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The substance of this question is about whether I have any knowledge of a media adviser providing information to the media. I certainly don't have any specific information there, but I will address the substance of the question. I addressed the media myself today, explaining to them in quite a lot of detail the great work—

Mr Malinauskas: You said you didn't know.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I've got no idea why the Leader is so angry today. He's just shouting and shouting and shouting. One can only guess why he is so agitated at the moment. One can only guess why he is so agitated. But maybe, if he was genuinely interested, he might just sit still and listen to the answer in which I am addressing the substance of the question, and the substance of this question—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The Premier now is making personal reflections and—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Who was that? Where did that yelp come from?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens, sit down. I realise only too well that we all had a late night last night and we are here on a Thursday, but this question time has become particularly ratty. Before I call the Premier again, I am going to warn for the first time the deputy leader, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Kaurna.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No specific information with regard to the allegation made by those opposite, but I myself provided, I think, quite extensive information to the media today and they listened a lot more attentively than those opposite are in the chamber this afternoon.

There seems to be quite an obsession with one facility, completely ignoring the fact that the Flinders Medical Centre sits as the largest hospital and facility within the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. Quite frankly, I think most people can appreciate that that Southern Adelaide Local Health Network actually comprises multiple facilities as well as a facility in the community. It includes Noarlunga Hospital, where we put back in place the 12-bed acute medical unit. That service was downgraded under the previous government. It has been enhanced under this government, and that eases pressure on the Flinders Medical Centre.

We also know—and they hate hearing about this—they closed the Repat. More than 100 beds were taken out of the system. We have reopened the Repat. As a government, we have invested more than $110 million with the federal government to put services back on that site. They go into the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. In addition to that, more community-based services, outreach services outside of the hospital—Hospital in the Home, if you like—these are the things that we are doing to bring services as close to the action as possible.

I am very proud of the work that we have done. There is still more work to be done. There is a massive amount of work to be done, but we have a program with a very generous $7.4 billion annual operating budget and more than $1 billion going into upgrading hospital emergency departments right across this state.