New Women's and Children's Hospital

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Will the minister publicly release the final design for the new Women's and Children's Hospital before the state election? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: The Auditor-General stated:

…the design concept for the main hospital expected to be finalised later [this year].

Dr Robyn Lawrence told Budget and Finance:

…we do concept design and schematic design, we will inform government as those costs firm up and then…government will answer as to when they will inform the South Australian population.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:34): The member doesn't quite understand the different terms involved here. The detail of a significant hospital of this level—there's a huge amount of design work that will be taking place for years into the future on this hospital. Even after construction has started, design work will still be continuing as we do very detailed design on elements of the building.

In terms of the concept design works, of course as elements are prepared we will be releasing them, because we will be consulting with clinicians on each element of those works as and when they are due. There is a detailed timeline of when all of those elements will be happening in terms of both design and construction over the course of the next six years, and at each point where there are works that have been prepared and are ready to consult with clinicians and our consumer groups as well, that will of course happen because that's a critical part to making sure that we deliver the hospital with the outcome that we need.