House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Question Time Ambulance Ramping Ambulance Ramping The Hon. V.A. TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley Ambulance Ramping The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My question is to the Premier. Does South Australia have enough nurses and midwives to grow health services into the future? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain. Leave granted. The Hon. V.A. TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: In response to the release of the Liberal Party's nurses and midwives scholarship policy, the Premier stated that every nursing vacancy in the state is filled, yet the CEO of SA Health told the Coroners Court during the inquest into ramping deaths in South Australia that there are workforce shortages across the entire health sector. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier, Minister for Defence and Space Industries) (14:13): My remarks were in respect of graduate positions and it is true. More than that, yesterday I made clear everything that the Coroner said with respect to their report on ramping where they gave a very thoughtful, clear dissertation on the worthwhile elements of the government's investment in ramping. In fact, I am happy to read the quotes out to the Leader of the Opposition from yesterday, because obviously he wasn't listening. Members interjecting: The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: He might have had other things on his mind, and I get that. I forgive the Leader of the Opposition for that. There's a bit going on and he can be forgiven for being distracted. If we focus on the Coroner's report just for a moment, I quote: SA Health's response to ramping is extremely comprehensive and well thought through. SA Health's comprehensive attack on the root causes of ramping is an excellent use of public funds. No wonder he is not familiar with these remarks. The report continues: The efforts taken, in relation to ramping today, are commendable, broad and meaningful…a stronger, more robust health system in South Australia. Members interjecting: The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The shadow minister for health interjects. What I would say to the shadow minister for health is her interjection is insightful. She says, 'That's not the political commitment' which speaks to the fact that all she is focused on is the politics. All she's focused on is the politics. What we are focused on is the politics being married up with a comprehensive policy, a policy, given the Leader of the Opposition's question, that has delivered over 1,400 extra nurses over and above attrition. Members interjecting: The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Chaffey interjects. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett, the member for Flinders and the member for Chaffey! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Chaffey's interjections are only slightly less desirable than the member for Unley's, who is not here at the moment. We welcome the member for Chaffey's interjection. He asked about what was on the Stobie poles. What we put on the Stobie poles is our commitment to recruit extra nurses. The number we committed to was over 300 extra nurses. We have delivered 1,400 extra nurses, plus some, over and above attrition. We committed to over 300 extra ambos—tick; over 100 extra doctors: we have delivered over 600 extra doctors. While the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister for health are running around doling out cash while complaining about debt, while reducing government revenue and coming up with more expenditure, while they are doing that, their latest contribution to the public policy debate in this state was to try to fix a problem that doesn't exist. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert will come to order. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The challenges in recruiting nurses—we've got over 1,400 extra nurses. The challenges in recruiting ambos—we've got over 300 extra of them. The challenges of recruiting doctors—we've got over 600 extra of them over and above attrition. Where there are challenges are in discrete areas like police, like teaching. They're areas that we are putting effort into where there are genuine issues associated with recruitment. In more specific specialties, such as psychiatry for instance, we acknowledge there is a challenge, why this minister is delivering a comprehensive workforce plan in regard to psychiatry. But your plan, running around handing something out to everyone with money that you don't have, is a foolish exercise that the people of South Australia will hold you to account on at the election. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Before I call the leader, the members for Morphett, Chaffey and Schubert are on your final warnings. We just need to keep it down a little. I know it's the second to last day, unless we sit that optional sitting week, which I know everyone is really keen on, but the students from Willunga Waldorf School would like to see a little bit better behaviour than what they have seen in the first four minutes of question time.