House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Murray Bridge Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Pool Murray Bridge Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Pool Mr PEDERICK House of Assembly Hammond Murray Bridge Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Pool Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister tell me when the heated pool at the Murray Bridge Soldiers' Memorial Hospital will reopen to those who use the pool for hydrotherapy and rehabilitation? With your leave, and that of the house, I will explain. Leave granted. Mr PEDERICK House of Assembly Mr PEDERICK: Constituents have contacted my office who use the pool and are missing its use, such as— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Unley! Mr PEDERICK House of Assembly Mr PEDERICK: —Joan Coppola, who has many chronic diseases, such as arthritis, and with the recent— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mr PEDERICK House of Assembly Mr PEDERICK: I will start again, sir. Constituents have contacted my office who use the pool and are missing its use, such as Joan Coppola, who has many chronic diseases, such as arthritis and, with a recent joint reconstruction, relies on the heated pool. Olivia Zulian has children with physical disabilities and relies on the pool for therapy. Marjorie Hodgeman is disabled and finds the pool easy to do exercise in and needs the rails to help her get in and out. Sue Mickan uses the pool to ease her arthritis, and Lonny Wright, who has cerebral palsy, also uses the pool. Can the minister commit to keeping this vital pool open? 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) (14:41): There is a problem in the premise of the question that I was asked in 'Can I commit to keeping the pool open?' because, unfortunately, it was closed by the previous government. It absolutely is unfortunate— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —in terms of the impacts that has had on people. I presume that the member for Hammond, when speaking to his constituents about it, has expressed that he was part of a government that closed that pool. I hope that he has explained— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley! The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —about the pool. In fact, I believe it was closed on 23 November— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond! The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —last year. The pool was closed. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley! The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I do know this has impacts on the community, the closure of the pool under the former Marshall Liberal government. This is something that I have raised with the local health network that covers the area. I am looking forward to receiving their advice in terms of the issues of reopening that pool, including particular maintenance issues that have been unaddressed over many years previously. I do think it is important to put on the record that this is not an open pool, as was suggested by the member for Hammond, but it is actually closed and was closed in November last year.