New Women's and Children's Hospital

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is to the Premier. What completion date for the new Women's and Children's Hospital is accepted by the government? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: The Women's and Children's Hospital Network governing board received an update from the project lead in November 2024, which noted a completion date of 2033-34. On ABC radio the Premier gave a date of 2031-32, and the minister later on, on FIVEaa, stated a completion date of 2030-31.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:17): The advice is the same as the previous two answers. In terms of the advice to the government, we are expected to have that delivery by 2031, as we have previously said. Of course, there are always risks with a project of this nature, and of course we will try to manage those risks in the best way possible, but we will also put delivering the best possible outcome for women and children as the first and foremost priority, both now and into the future.

We have progress underway on that site already, we have construction underway, working with Lendlease and our partners on that site already: they have undertaken the clearance work, they have undertaken the remediation work on the car park site, construction is underway, the tower cranes are in place, the earthworks are underway in terms of the main hospital site, and the advice to us is that we are still on track for that 2031 date.

But we will continue to monitor it: we will continue to have the state's most senior public servants having oversight of this project, we will continue to make sure that we receive regular updates through the cabinet process, and we will continue to make sure that, ultimately, we put the interests of women and children first and deliver a hospital that is going to meet needs now and into the future.