PENOLA WAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:55): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Health a question on the subject of the Penola hospital.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Members will be aware of the concerns expressed by the Penola community about the loss of their GP and the impact of that loss on the services provided by the local Penola hospital. I am advised that SA Health and the government had tenders for an expression of interest process for those medical services to be provided in the Penola community, and I am advised that that closed at the end of March this year.

I am further advised that the community is aware of at least one response to that expression of interest process—there may well have been more—and that the particular application the community was aware of was from a general practitioner who manages a business already providing medical services to a range of regional communities in South Australia. I am further advised that upon the closure of that expression of interest process at the end of March there was no contact from SA Health with that particular applicant, who had made their expression of interest. I am further advised that SA Health have now reopened the expression of interest process and extended the closure date by a further six-week period.

As I am sure you would be aware, Mr President, there is great concern being expressed by people in the Penola community about the reasons that the government and SA Health have further delayed the consideration of the provision of medical services in the local community. Certainly there has been a very strong concern expressed to me from members of that community that these delays may lead to the possible closure of the Penola hospital—something the local community strongly opposes. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many applications were submitted in response to the expression of interest process that closed at the end of March, who considered those particular applications and what was the process of consideration of those applications?

2. What were the reasons for the six-week extension of the expression of interest period in relation to the provision of services at Penola?

3. Why was there no contact with individual applicants prior to the decision being taken to extend the expression of interest process?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions on the subject of medical services at Penola. I undertake to take those questions to the Minister for Health and Ageing in the other place and seek a response on his behalf.