Women's and Children's Hospital

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update the house on the response to the Malinauskas Labor government's plan for the new Women's and Children's Hospital?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:16): Thank you very much to the member for Light for his question. I certainly can inform the house in relation to the response to the new Women's and Children's Hospital. I am happy to give information to anyone who wasn't here yesterday that it certainly has passed the upper house in relation to our legislation, which is fantastic news.

Since we announced this plan a few weeks ago, there has been wholesale support from the clinical community for our plan for a bigger and better Women's and Children's Hospital, to build it for the long term, to make sure that we have the facilities at that hospital, that it's not going to be full by the day that it opens, as opposed to the previous plan.

What we have heard from clinicians both inside the hospital and those outside the hospital, those who have been lobbying on this issue for a long time, is that finally we've got the opportunity to build a world-class facility for women and children here in South Australia. Clearly, this is because we are going to be able to build a hospital that has more beds—some 70 more beds—than the previous hospital was able to do.

We are going to be able to build a hospital that has the capacity to expand in the future as well as expand the Royal Adelaide Hospital and we are going to be able to connect those services and design the hospital properly in a way that was never possible on that RAH west site that was previously considered for the past nine years. We have been overwhelmed with support. I certainly want to thank those members of the crossbench who have been supportive of this proposal, particularly SA-Best and Sarah Game for their support. I noted the comments from Sarah Game today, who said on the radio and I quote:

In this instance—and Chris Picton and I don’t often agree—I just felt the Government had done their best. There were lots of factors to consider but I think Chris summed it up really well. There have been lots of delays and ultimately for me the health of women and children come first. I was contacted by lots of different clinicians and there was unanimous support for the Government’s decision and that this hospital needed to go ahead.

I absolutely thank her for her comments. It differs considerably from the comments that we heard from the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Black—I know he doesn't like being called that—who said on 28 September:

At the end of the day I'm standing by that decision—

which was to build it on the RAH west site—

because I was sitting on the infrastructure committee that got the independent advice that said that this site was the best site.

Clearly, we had the Leader of the Opposition going out saying that to build it on the smaller site that was not acceptable. But there has been more reaction in the community, and I'm happy to inform the community and the house of one letter that was published in The Advertiser recently which I think is worth repeating.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: You might like who wrote this letter. I quote:

EVERYONE loves a hospital, especially a brand-new Women's and Children's Hospital. The hapless—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton! Member for Schubert!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I continue—

former Marshall government wanted to build a new [women's and kids' hospital] close to a basketball stadium that was not required. It wanted to rezone 70ha of revered parklands.

This prompted 100 protest signatures in The Advertiser,many names that read like a roll call of the Liberal Party (or the Adelaide Club).

Politically, Labor has won this. They own Adelaide right now. I believe the seats they won in March would rather have hospitals over heritage. If they can get prolific letter writer Warren Jones, they have won.

And who, sir—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —wrote that letter? The Treasurer asked me who wrote that letter. That was written by none other than Michael Pratt, the former member for Adelaide.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: I think he will be known well, certainly by some people on that side of the house. This is a hospital that has significant support. They don't know where they are at on this project—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Wright!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —on that side of the house, but we are getting on and building a new hospital that we need for the health of women and kids in the future.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members to my right! The leader has the call.