House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Port Pirie Hospital Port Pirie Hospital Ms PRATT House of Assembly Frome Port Pirie Hospital Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Regional Roads. Has the minister written to his own government calling for an increase to funding for the Port Pirie hospital to match the Marshall Liberal government's election promise of $26.1 million instead of the 50 per cent discounted project offered by the Labor Party? Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call. The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly Kaurna Minister for Health and Wellbeing The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:53): I am not sure how a hospital fits within regional roads, but— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is called to order. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is called to order. The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Forgive me; the member for Hartley says apparently it fits within the portfolio because you have to drive on a road to get to the hospital. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley well knows the standing orders. The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: That is the immense logic that we love from the member for Hartley. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta! The minister has the call. The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: We made a commitment in the middle of last year that, if we were elected, this government would be cancelling the $662 million basketball stadium that was posed to be built in the CBD and that we would be investing all of that money in health, hospitals and ambulances across South Australia. And more than that—and this was something that the Premier was very keen to do—we wanted to make sure that we committed at least $100 million as an additional investment in country hospitals. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order. I will hear the point of order. Mr GARDNER House of Assembly Mr GARDNER: The question was pretty clear about whether the member for Stuart had written to his Labor government minister about the Port Pirie health services and the investment being made there, and this is not germane to that question. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: It may be that the question contemplated, in fact, two aspects that could be reflected on it. It may be that the minister is reflecting on one ahead of the other. In any event, I will ask the minister to chart a closer line to the question. The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Thank you, sir, for your advice. We have made significant investments across country South Australia that will all be reflected in the state budget. Very clearly we have made a very significant investment in the Upper Spencer Gulf, not only investment in Port Pirie, not only investment in Port Augusta but investment in more ambulance officers, investment in more drug rehabilitation, investment in a whole range of services across that area. I think in Peterborough as well. I think that additional ambulance officers are going into the Upper Spencer Gulf also, as well as additional paramedics into Wallaroo. We made that commitment very late in the piece, I think from memory, a few days before the election. The then health minister and then member for Stuart raced out a commitment of their own in Port Pirie. That's clearly what the question is asking about: their commitment. We have made our commitment. We will be delivering our commitment. The member for Stuart is a fierce advocate for his community. He is somebody who stands up for his hospitals. He is somebody who long before the election had been talking to me about the need for investments not only in Port Pirie but in Port Augusta and right across his electorate of Stuart. I would not be able to stop him advocating for his local community if I tried. He certainly has been on to me before the election and afterwards because he wants to make sure that we get the best possible development for Port Pirie, that we get the best possible investment in his local community, and I thank him for that. It is absolutely our commitment to deliver on our election commitments and to make sure that we improve these services, which is in stark contrast. I don't think anything happened in the past four years at the Port Pirie hospital. I am happy to be corrected if I am wrong, but we certainly did not see this investment, except for an announcement a couple of days before the last election.