Stirling Hospital

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (10:34): I move:

That this house—

(a) recognises the vital role Stirling Hospital plays in delivering high-quality medical care to residents of the Adelaide Hills and surrounding regions;

(b) acknowledges the significant contribution of the hospital's staff, volunteers, and board members in maintaining locally accessible, patient-centred health care for over 100 years;

(c) commends the ongoing advocacy and tireless efforts of the Save Stirling Hospital community group in working to keep the hospital's doors open and its services accessible;

(d) condemns the Malinauskas Labor government for its failure to meaningfully support Stirling Hospital, despite repeated warnings about the impact its closure would have on regional health care access; and

(e) calls on the state government to urgently engage with Stirling Hospital's board and executive to secure its long-term viability and ensure that Adelaide Hills communities are not left without critical local health services.

I rise today with some considerable pride to move the motion standing in my name. This is, as I say at the outset, a source of considerable pride for me to move this motion insofar as it recognises the really truly herculean efforts made by the local community in response to what was the most cataclysmic of shocks received by the community back in April 2023.

I put it as high as that because what the community was presented with in April 2023 looked, for a considerable amount of time then and thereafter, to be something that was going to cause the closure of the Stirling Hospital and a move away to what might have been rented premises in Mount Barker or somewhere else. That proposal was presented to the community in fairly short form, I think it would have to be said.

Letters were received by me and by others who were central to the community. For example, the Stirling community op shop, which had over many years provided very significant financial support to the hospital, received this letter in April 2023 saying that it was over for the hospital: it is closing and it is moving. The response that occurred to that shock was really something truly magnificent.

I was proud to convene the first of what were to be multiple full-hall meetings at the Stirling RSL in the following months, particularly in May and June 2023. Members might just imagine the scene: heading towards midwinter in the Adelaide Hills and despite the most rugged of winter conditions outside, the whole community rallied indoors to the Stirling RSL to make very clear that, while the community might be rarely moved in such a way to express that kind of solidarity, this was an issue that galvanised everyone in our community.

First of all in May, we had the harnessing of the necessary parts to build the advocacy around this announcement. We identified the unanswered questions that needed to be put to the hospital board and management at that time and to then provide an opportunity for dialogue for answers to be provided by the board and management.

That early process was productive in that it made very clear to the hospital that the community was not for accepting this announcement. The community was also making very clear to the board and management that, for its nearly 100-year history at that time, part of its strength that had led to its sustained success was that the community was very much at the heart of decision-making at the hospital. Indeed, the community had a say in who was on the board and, not only that, the local council did too. While things had been going well and sustained so over decades the community was quiet in relation to the hospital, when presented with this proposition the rising was truly significant.

From the very outset we had a roll-call of community members—board members at the hospital over the many decades—including my predecessor as member for Heysen who, significantly, was a member of the board for many, many years, and chairs of the hospital board, including John Venus, Ross Sands and others, who in many ways, simply by their presence at community gatherings following that announcement, really brought the heft of their service in making the point very clearly that the community needed to be listened to and that the board and the hospital were going to meet to deal with this very serious concern.

The other significant thing that was achieved at that time, at the peak of the crisis, in the middle of 2023, was the establishment of what continues: an incorporated association, Save the Stirling Hospital Association. It provided a core for those who are capable and knowledgeable in relation to hospital regulation, governance, the finance side: all of the various constituent parts, including clinical practice, to come together and make sure that the case for staying put, the case for providing a viable means forward, could be engaged with and the board and the management of the hospital could be provided with those resources with which to grapple with alternatives to closing.

Key among those was what the hospital perceived to be a major capital challenge that was on its way in order to comply with heath regulations. In the latter part of 2023, and in no small part due to the efforts of those leading the way in terms of the community advocacy in the Save the Stirling Hospital Association, the hospital was helped towards an understanding that there need not be quite such a catastrophic capital challenge, that there was a way forward and that not only was it something that the community was regarding as central to our community to have the Stirling Hospital there but the means by which to provide for renewal and a reinvigoration of the hospital were laid out. That was the result of a combination of efforts, intensively through the middle part of 2023 and right up to the end of that year.

As the result of that we achieved what I think many in the community regarded as likely impossible earlier in the year, and that was a complete reversal of that stated intent. The hospital advised the community that it would stay and would go about the task of a reinvigoration and a renewal towards being back on a sustainable footing at Stirling. That has continued, and I want to recognise the efforts of the hospital's board and management in that regard for what has now been nearly two years.

The latest hospital update is that the hospital's finances are back in the black, new clinicians are establishing lists at the hospital, there has been a combined effort to raise awareness of what the hospital has to offer, and the efforts of hospital management to make sure that all facilities are geared towards maximum productivity have really yielded fruit. This is an ongoing challenge, and we know that as a community we are going to need to remain committed to it. It is one of those really tremendous outcomes and a reminder for us all that the 100-year legacy of the hospital as a community service is there for good reason now and into the future, just as much as it has been so proudly in the past.

There has been a series of initiatives that have been taken to engage the community, fundraising being among them. There was a successful dinner that was held last year. This year, coming up just in a few days' time, on Sunday, the Stirling Hospital will be conducting the Stirling Hospital Community Walk fundraiser. It is something that I will be participating in, and I look forward to seeing the wide range of people in the community who have now, over years, become familiar with each other in the common cause of doing their bit to save the hospital and to keep it on a strong footing in Stirling. So we lean in in every way that we can, including this Sunday at the Stirling Hospital Community Walk, and I look forward to seeing everybody there.

To address paragraphs (d) and (e) of the motion: it is very important to note that, whenever we talk about this tremendous community work that has been done to save the Stirling Hospital, it needs to be clearly understood that, at the first turn and from then on, the Malinauskas Labor government, via the Minister for Health, has turned away from any involvement in supporting the Stirling Hospital to achieve that end of staying open and staying viable.

I asked the Minister for Health, right at the core of the crisis in the middle of 2023. I said, 'Will you do something to help the hospital?' and it is there on the record that the Minister for Health said, 'No, we won't. It's not us and they will need to fend for themselves.' I have to say that that is against the background of late 2022 when, as it happens, the Minister for Health was very happy to come along and cut a ribbon at the opening of a new room, a new suite, at the Stirling Hospital. Malinauskas Labor has been there when it is all smiles and ribbon-cutting but it has walked away from Stirling Hospital, which has left the community and all of us having to do that work on our own. That work continues, and I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (10:49): I rise to move the following amendments: keep paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) and delete paragraph (d) and (e) so that the motion will read as follows:

That this house—

(a) recognises the vital role Stirling Hospital plays in delivering high-quality medical care to residents of the Adelaide Hills and surrounding regions;

(b) acknowledges the significant contribution of the hospital's staff, volunteers and board members in maintaining locally accessible, patient-centred health care for over 100 years; and

(c) commends the ongoing advocacy and tireless efforts of the Save Stirling Hospital community group in working to keep the hospital's doors open and its services accessible.

I wish to acknowledge the motion brought by the member for Heysen regarding the Stirling Hospital and to recognise the long contribution that the hospital has made to its community for more than a century. Stirling Hospital has been a cornerstone of care for the Adelaide Hills region since the twenties, and its dedicated staff, volunteers and board have worked tirelessly to maintain safe, high-quality services close to home.

It is important to note that Stirling Hospital is a privately owned and operated not-for-profit hospital, governed by an independent board. Its financial and operational management are not matters of state government responsibility. Nonetheless, the government recognises the critical role of private and community-owned hospitals in our health system, particularly in complementing public capacity and supporting timely patient access.

Since mid-2024, Stirling Hospital has been an active member of the state's patient services panel, which was established in 2019 to enable local health networks to purchase elective surgery and other services from approved private providers. Through this arrangement, the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network has contracted activity valued at more than $320,000 in 2024-25 and a further $125,000 to date this financial year. This partnership illustrates the government's practical support for Stirling Hospital and its patients, helping to reduce wait times and improve care access in the Hills.

Across South Australia, the private hospital sector plays a key role in the delivery of public health care through the panel, which has facilitated more than $240 million in public patient activity since 2019. Regular discussions are held with private providers to strengthen partnerships, build capacity and develop sustainable models of care.

The government absolutely rejects any assertion that it has failed to support Stirling Hospital. On the contrary, our engagement through the Patient Services Panel demonstrates active collaboration to ensure that patients in the Adelaide Hills can receive care closer to home while upholding our responsibility for systemwide equity and fiscal prudence. As a privately run hospital, Stirling's future viability rests with its board and management, but the government will continue to work constructively to maintain a strong and sustainable network of private and community providers supporting public patients.

We have committed $9 billion to our health system: more beds, more health workers, more ambulance stations. Our government investment in the Adelaide Hills includes:

a brand-new $9.1 million ambulance station, opened earlier this year in Mount Barker, which houses a full team of 32 ambos, including 18 recently recruited by the government, to meet the growing demand for emergency care in Adelaide Hills communities;

opening brand-new ambulance stations in Strathalbyn and Birdwood to ensure that these communities get the emergency support that they need;

establishing a permanent BreastScreen SA clinic;

partnering with the federal government to establish free mental health care with a new Head to Health service, operating through Summit Health, providing a safe and welcoming space for adults to access mental health information and support;

the opening of a new, bigger and better ED at the Mount Barker District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, more than tripling the number of treatment bays and providing increased capacity to deliver enhanced emergency care for Adelaide Hills residents;

implementing 24/7 security at the Mount Barker hospital;

a brand-new Mount Barker hospital, which will triple inpatient capacity for the growing Hills community, as the Malinauskas Labor government continues to build a bigger health system. Work is well underway on this $365.8 million project that will triple current inpatient capacity from 34 to 102 beds.

Work is also underway on the hospital's new multideck car park, which will bring the site's total car parking capacity to 654 spaces, up from the current capacity of 431. The increased capacity and capability of the new Mount Barker hospital will support the needs of the region's growing population and allow the local health network to deliver higher complexity care. This will reduce the need for Hills and Mount Barker residents to travel to the city, helping ease demand at major metropolitan hospitals.

We have also introduced nurse-led clinics at Gumeracha and Strathalbyn, providing local communities with timely access to urgent non-emergency care, including access to virtual medical support when needed and significantly reducing the need to travel long distances, spend hours waiting in hospital EDs or securing a GP appointment.

The Malinauskas government opened these clinics in 2023, resulting in the return of after-hours health services to Gumeracha and Strathalbyn after the former Liberal government permanently closed the town's emergency departments. These clinics have been embraced by Hills' residents who are increasingly taking up the opportunity to visit them instead of GP clinics or hospital EDs.

Gumeracha's after-hours clinic saw 203 patient presentations in September 2025, a 157 per cent increase on September 2024 and the second most after May 2025 when there were 206 patient presentations. Strathalbyn's after-hours clinic saw 190 patient presentations in September 2025, a 116 per cent increase on September 2024 and the second most after July 2025 when there were 204 presentations.

In closing, I again acknowledge the staff, volunteers and the leadership of Stirling Hospital, as well as the commitment to the Save Stirling Hospital group and the broader community. Through partnerships, such as the patient services panel and our investments in health care in the Adelaide Hills, we will continue to ensure South Australians have access to safe, high-quality care in their local communities and when they need it most.

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (10:56): I thank and I want to acknowledge the member for Davenport for the contribution just now. I might confess, I had almost forgotten that the government really had anything to say about Stirling Hospital and I think the contribution of the member for Davenport just now is, with respect, the most eloquent and thoroughgoing contribution that I have heard today. It certainly leaves the Minister for Health in the shade.

I appreciate that we have, therefore, on the record, the government's support for those paragraphs (a), (b) and (c). I will let the community be the judge in relation to (d) and (e). The community will form its own view against the background of what we have seen over those couple of years.

I acknowledge the member for Davenport's contribution and, in particular, the member for Davenport's reflection on the panel, and the capacity for local community hospitals to participate in opportunities to take public work on appropriate terms is a significant means by which there is a relevant connection between the SA Health public hospital system and community hospitals.

I am glad that has been raised. It is an area that needs to be leant into as part of the future success story for regional community hospitals including Stirling Hospital. The government's support for paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of the motion really do take us somewhere—a step, I hope, that will sound in the government coming around to some form of meaningful support for Stirling Hospital.

As I say, the community will need to be the judge, particularly in relation to the subject of paragraphs (d) and (e) in terms of the government's response at the time when the community was crying out in need, at a time of existential crisis, when the hospital was very much looking down the barrel of closing its doors. So we have come a long way over these past two years and more. I commend the motion in its original form and, again, finishing as I did in my remarks earlier, I look forward very much to the Stirling Hospital's Community Walk this Sunday, and look forward to seeing everybody there. I commend the motion.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.