Question Time

ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Health a question about utilities costs for the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: In interviews on ABC local radio and on FIVEaa last month the Minister for Health, the Hon. John Hill, was attempting to defend the new hospital's insufficient 4-star energy rating—insufficient, because this rating is lower than the minimum required by the Premier for all new government buildings. Mr Hill claimed, on Ian Henschke's 891 morning radio program, that the consortium, not the taxpayer, will be 'responsible for the electricity side of the operation, so it's in their interest to reduce the amount of electricity being used'.

On Leon Byner's FIVEaa program the minister claimed new energy saving devices would be applied as they came through. He asserted:

There's a real incentive for the builders to do this because they're responsible through the contract over the 35 years of the contract for the supply of energy, so if it's very energy efficient they'll have to spend less money.

My questions are:

1. How does the government claim stack up against page 38.42 of the key financial management risks and mitigants, contained in the information presentation from Macquarie Bank (a member of the preferred consortium), and point 4.2, which specifically states about the cost of utilities, such as electricity, 'Under the project agreement there is a full pass-through of the costs to the state'?

2. Will the minister now apologise to South Australians for his multimillion dollar mistake?

3. Can he provide to the parliament a full estimate of the expected costs of all utilities, external waste collection services and grocery items which, according to the Macquarie Bank, will be passed on in full to taxpayers?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable minister.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (14:21): Thank you, Mr President. I thank the honourable member for his most important question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable minister.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Thank you, Mr President. I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. I will refer them to the Minister for Health in another place and bring back a response. However, these are outrageous assertions by the opposition. They come into this place time and time again with incorrect and inaccurate information and alleged documents—and we know they have a track record of referring to dodgy documents. They come into this place and are not prepared to present the document that they are referring to. They are clearly not prepared to refer to this document outside these walls because they cower in this place within the protection of these walls.

They are sleazy cowards. It is nothing short of a disgrace. What we are talking about is the building of a state-of-the-art public health facility that will be something that all South Australians can be proud of. We went to the last election with that promise, and we won that election soundly with a clear mandate for the building of that hospital—it was a clear mandate. We went into that election with a promise of building that hospital to replace the Royal Adelaide. They squeal like stuck pigs.