Parliamentary Committees

Legislative Review Committee: Western Hospital at Henley Beach

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (11:01): I move:

That the report of the committee on House of Assembly petition No. 50 of 55/1, entitled Western Hospital at Henley Beach, be noted.

The Western Hospital at Henley Beach petition was signed by 11,134 residents of South Australia and tabled in the House of Assembly on 7 March 2024 by the member for Colton. In evidence before the committee, the member for Colton advised that, subsequent to the petition being tabled, additional community members have signed the petition, bringing the total number of signatures to well above 16,000. This number demonstrates the significance of the Western Hospital to South Australians.

The petition was referred to the Legislative Review Committee pursuant to section 16B of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991. Section 12(ba) of that act requires that the committee inquire into, consider and report to parliament on any eligible petition referred to it. I do note in passing that legislation was passed through this house yesterday that will require that petitions now be referred to the relevant standing committee, but under the old system it was referred to the Legislative Review Committee. The Western Hospital petition requested that the House of Assembly:

…urge the Government to ensure the future of the Western Hospital at Henley Beach, and in particular, ensure that the land on which the hospital sits remains zoned for health care services into the future.

The petition arose in response to the Western Hospital being placed into voluntary administration on 29 January 2024. The member for Colton advised the committee that the Western Hospital offers GP, cardiovascular, oncology, specialist, radiology, elective surgery and other important health services. The member for Colton also advised that these services support residents of the western suburbs as well as other regions across South Australia. He emphasised that in providing these services the Western Hospital has also supported and eased pressure on the strained public health system.

The committee heard evidence on 10 April 2024 from the member for Colton; Ms Colleen Billows OAM, who is an advocate for the Western Hospital; and Mr Angelo Piovesan, who is the Chairman of The Friends of Western Hospital Association Inc. This evidence supported the petitioners' claims that the Western Hospital is important to the community as well as to the public health system. The witnesses agreed that the government and relevant ministers are best placed to determine the most appropriate way of retaining the Western Hospital site for healthcare services into the future. As a result of the evidence heard, the committee has made the following recommendations:

1. That the Minister for Planning receive this report and consider the petitioners' request that the minister ensure the future of the Western Hospital and, in particular, ensure that the land on which the Western Hospital sits remains zoned for healthcare services into the future.

2. That the Minister for Health and Wellbeing receive this report and consider the impact on South Australia's healthcare system should the land on which the Western Hospital sits not remain zoned for healthcare services.

I would like to thank the other members of the Legislative Review Committee who were involved in this inquiry: in the Legislative Council the Hon. Reggie Martin MLC, who is the Presiding Member, the Hon. Connie Bonaros MLC and the Hon. Nicola Centofanti MLC; and in this place the member for Florey, the member for Flinders and previous committee member the member for Playford.

In addition, I would like to thank the committee secretary, Matt Balfour, and the research officer, Ms Maureen Affleck, for their assistance and their ongoing help. I would also like to express the committee's gratitude to the member for Colton for his contribution to the committee's inquiry into this petition. I commend the report the house.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (11:05): I rise today to speak on the noting of the report before us from the Legislative Review Committee. I believe, and stand to be corrected, this is the first report that has passed through since the changes in legislation to permit the referral of a petition that garners more than 10,000 signatures to a relevant committee of the house, formerly to the Legislative Review Committee, on the back of changes that were passed through this chamber just yesterday.

To provide some updated context, the petition now is nearing 20,000 signatures, so it is certainly by no means slowing down. It emphasises the level of concern within my local community in regard to the future of the Western Hospital but also underlines the strength, belief and connection that the community has had with the Western Hospital over many, many years.

I would like to begin by thanking the members of the Legislative Review Committee for their time and thanking the government for the bipartisan nature with which they have undertaken this process to this point. Obviously, every petition is different. The purpose of this petition was to quickly raise awareness of the issue and to provide an understanding of the level of support for this hospital within my local community to the government, to the administrators who are undertaking the process of hopefully facilitating a sale of the hospital and also to any potential buyers.

It is clear that the western suburbs are passionate about retaining this facility as a hospital. It is clear that the people of the western suburbs understand the pressure that this hospital takes off of the broader public healthcare services in the western suburbs as well. I thank Angelo Piovesan, the Chairman of The Friends of Western Hospital Association, and also Colleen Billows, who provided evidence to the committee with me.

What is important now is a timely response from the relevant ministers to whom the recommendations of the committee have been moved forward. As we stand here today, we certainly hope and continue to hope that there are relevant parties that are interested in proceeding with a sale of the hospital and that the government will do everything within their power to facilitate that transition. That is the hope of my community, that is certainly my personal hope, and I certainly understand it to be the hope of everybody within this house as well.

Finally, in providing a couple of thoughts to the house this morning, can I thank the many, many local businesses, some of whom I have named in this house already, and the many people and local residents of the western suburbs who have come and collected pages of the petition to have signatures collected. It is an almighty effort in this house in today's day and age to collect 10,000 signatures; to be on the verge of being double that I think is one of the most significant petitions that we have had before this house, certainly within this term but more broadly probably across the last couple. Again, that speaks directly to the strength and the passion that the people of the western suburbs have for the Western Hospital. I am sure I will update the house as we continue to navigate this journey together in the hopes of ensuring the future of the Western Hospital at Henley Beach.

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (11:09): I just want to again commend the report to the house and again thank the member for Colton for his contribution to this inquiry and his advocacy on behalf of his local community.

Motion carried.