Question Time

ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government, representing the Minister for Urban Development and Planning, a question about demolition without planning approval.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Two months ago, the government began demolishing the sheds and tearing up the railway lines and sleepers at the site of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. In fact, you can even watch it on YouTube. Uploaded by the Premier on 21 February 2011, it shows the Labor leader standing in front of the buildings as they are being reduced to rubble. The Premier obviously got his media team down there, got a taxpayer-funded cameraman and made a little speech to the camera. So far, this hugely expensive, publicly funded PR exercise has a total of 162 views.

Nevertheless, demolition of railway land infrastructure would require a proper development approval, and such a project would need a management plan lodged with that development application and, in this case, with railway sleepers that are half buried in contaminated soil, this would, by law, have covered the soil, transport and disposal mentioned in the management plan. The razing of the old railway sheds would also have required demolition approval.

The Adelaide City Council has informed us that the government made no application for demolition approval. In fact, councillor Anne Moran pledged that the city council should throw the book at the government and demanded that they be treated like any other bad developers for flouting the laws. However, the Lord Mayor, Mr Stephen Yarwood, said the council supported the RAH development and was willing to ignore the unfortunate oversight.

'It's really minor in nature and considering the intent of the policy...I'm certainly not going to sweat over it in any way', he said. 'Of course it's preferable to do things appropriately, but this happens in the planning system. It's really not worth losing any sleep over', he said. We were informed that the government intends to lodge a retrospective application. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why did the government choose to act illegally by demolishing the structures on the old railway site without proper approval?

2. Has the Premier, the minister or any of their representatives put any pressure on, or had conversations with, the Lord Mayor to ask him to describe this as an unfortunate oversight of a minor nature?

3. If any legal action is to be taken, as foreshadowed by councillor Anne Moran, will Mike Rann's YouTube video be used as evidence against him?

As you know, if you cannot trust somebody to knock down something properly, how could you trust them to build it properly?

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for Gambling) (14:27): I will refer that question to the Deputy Premier or possibly the Minister for Infrastructure in another place and bring back a response. But how extraordinary that the question the opposition asks about the biggest health infrastructure project in this state's history is about a few tin sheds on the site and what has happened to those. It is Port Adelaide all over again. All they are worried about is rusty sheds. It is no wonder that the Leader of the Opposition in the other place is considering a reshuffle when these are the sorts of questions we get from the leader in this place.

Here we have the biggest health infrastructure project in this state's history: a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital, which will set up our health care needs for decades to come and will be a world-class facility—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: —of which all South Australians will be proud and which will serve us for many decades to come. The biggest objection or problem the opposition can come up with is about the demolition of some old sheds.

Of course, it is always important that the law of the states and nation be obeyed. In relation to what has happened to this particular item, I will refer it to my colleagues in the other place and bring back a response. It says a lot about the opposition in this place that, when it comes to a massive health infrastructure program, a brand new state-of-the-art public hospital, their big problem is that we knocked over a few sheds to do it.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: You think you can break the law and get away with it and laugh about it. You should resign; you should leave.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Ridgway—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Has the Hon. Mr Ridgway quite finished?

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Not till he retires, no, I'm not finished.

The PRESIDENT: Okay. The Hon. Ms Lensink.