Regional Hospital Helipads

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister confirm for the house who owns, operates and is responsible for country hospital helipads? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority does not regulate the design or operation of hospital landing sites if they are not an integral element of an aerodrome certified under Part 139 of CASA Regulations 1998.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:51): I thank the member for Frome for her question. I will certainly check the specific CASA Regulations that she has referred to, but certainly my advice is that our helicopter operator—which at the moment is contracted to Babcock, which will change into the future to Toll—has to be compliant with CASA. We have to convince them in terms of each helipad, in terms of their ability to operate it. We have done that in terms of seven of the upgraded helipads that we have now opened, and we are working through the remaining six with Babcock and I will certainly check the specific regulations that the member referred to.