Transforming Health

Adjourned debate on motion of the Hon. S.G. Wade:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into and report on the health, social and financial impact of Transforming Health.

2. That the committee consist of three members and that the quorum of members necessary to be present at all meetings of the committee be fixed at two members and that standing order 389 be so far suspended as to enable the chairperson of the committee to have a deliberative vote only.

3. That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.

4. That standing order 396 be suspended to enable strangers to be admitted when the select committee is examining witnesses unless the committee otherwise resolves, but they shall be excluded when the committee is deliberating.

to which the Hon. T.T. Ngo moved to amend at the end of paragraph 2 by inserting the following: 'and federal government funding cuts to the South Australian health system'

and to which amendment the Hon. T.A. Franks moved to amend by inserting 'and state' after 'federal'.

(Continued from 23 September 2015.)

The Hon. S.G. WADE (20:09): I am briefly concluding my remarks that I commenced at the previous meeting of this house. I think I will just limit my remarks to noting that, since we last met, the government has abandoned its plans for the Modbury Hospital. In March, the government told residents of the north-eastern suburbs that in the future they would have their cataracts removed, their laser corrections done and their glaucoma treatment done locally at the Modbury Hospital. It was a proposal that was immediately condemned by many in the ophthalmological profession and yet it took the government eight months to back down on that decision, to accept the fact that the plan was ill conceived and not properly consulted.

What that does, in my view, is justify the benefits of the committee. The government has for eight months stonewalled on criticism of its proposal and steamed ahead in spite of that. In the end, they have been forced to backflip on this key plank of their health reform plan. One can say, considering that that proposal was only one of a plethora of elements of the plan which have been the subject of very intense criticism, that one wonders how many more planks will fall over, how many more elements will need to be withdrawn when they are put to proper scrutiny. I am reminded of the advocacy of the Hon. Kelly Vincent. Paraquad SA, which I was pleased to support, was highlighting the deficiencies in the government's proposal in relation to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and in particular the rehabilitation facilities.

In so many areas of this proposal there are so many unanswered questions, I believe that a select committee is turning out to be the only tool that the people of South Australia have to insist on openness and transparency on what is, after all, one of the most fundamental areas of human services in our state. In concluding my remarks, I look forward to further consideration of the motion.

Hon. T.A. Franks' amendment to Hon. T.T. Ngo's amendment negatived; Hon. T.T. Ngo's amendment negatived; motion carried.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (20:13): I move:

That the select committee consist of the Hon. T.A. Franks, the Hon. T.T. Ngo and the mover.

Motion carried.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I move:

That the committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place and to report on 18 November 2015.

Motion carried.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I move:

That standing orders be so far suspended as to enable the committee to consist of four members and that the Hon. J.A. Darley be appointed a member of the committee.

Motion carried.