Daw Park Site

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:39): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Health on the subject of the Daw Park site, the former Repatriation General Hospital.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: The ACH Group has made a submission to the government to amend the zoning of the former Repat site to make land subdivision a permitted use. The group has indicated that it expects to pay stamp duty on the sale in spite of the fact that it is a charity. My question for the minister is: can the minister assure this place that he will not agree to any master plan for the former Repat site which is predicated or includes a sell-off of Repat land?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:40): The government's position in respect to the Repat site is clear. We've got an agreement with the ACH Group which is all about making sure that that site is used into the future in the community's interest, and that is what we are working towards delivering. I am expecting in due course, in fact hopefully rather soon, from the ACH the master plan for that site. We are very confident and hopeful that that master plan will be consistent with the principles that we have set out for the site, including it being used for community use in a health-precinct orientated way.

It's a great site. It's an iconic site. It's got a lot of emotion attached to it, and that's something that we are very keen to acknowledge. But we want to make sure that the site can be used in a way that is consistent with the needs of the community and consistent with the legitimate expectations the community has around it. We want to make sure that the site honours the legacy of it but also delivers an outstanding service into the future.