Millicent and District Hospital and Health Service

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding Millicent hospital.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Before the state election, then Liberal candidate and now Liberal member for MacKillop, Nick—sorry. We know who he is.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Nick McBride.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: No. I thought we couldn't say his name.

The PRESIDENT: 'The member for MacKillop' is the proper title.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Sorry. The member for MacKillop, yes.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Thank you for your assistance, even though it was wrong. The member for MacKillop said about the Millicent hospital that the Liberal Party had a plan regarding it to 'offer increased services to this very large regional population'. Will the minister advise the council what new services have commenced at Millicent hospital and, if they have not commenced, what services have been allocated and when will the new services commence?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:23): I thank the honourable member for her question; it's very similar to a question that she asked in recent days. But let's be abundantly clear that the direction for the South-East in terms of health care will be fundamentally different under a Marshall Liberal government. We are devolving health care.

I think it would be fair to say—the Hon. Rob Lucas, being a native of that region, would agree—that the people of the South-East are some of the most concerned about centralisation. So they were one of the most concerned communities when, over the last 10 years, the former government abolished the boards and centralised power in the city. I have received overwhelming support from the people of the South-East in terms of our board devolution programs. I'm delighted that—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Excuse me, minister. Can the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Government cease their private conversation. Minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: On 2 August, I was pleased to announce eight of the board chairs. I am delighted to say that, in relation to the two remaining board chairs—for the South East board and the Eyre and Far North board—expressions of interest closed last Friday. I look forward to considering the assessments of the selection process and taking a recommendation to cabinet in due course.

What the new boards will fundamentally do in the regions is put control of budgets back in the hands of local people. People are sick and tired of a centralised Labor bureaucracy in the city deciding what's best for them. Once those two board chairs are appointed, shortly after—or about the same time maybe, depending on the timing of the announcement—there will be advertisements for board chairs to join the boards, which will be chaired by the 10 board chairs who are being appointed. They will have responsibility for managing the budgets in the South-East.

I have already advised the house that there was recently a new contract for medical services at Millicent. That new board will have the responsibility of working with the communities in the South-East, the health advisory council, clinicians and the communities right across that region, to work out what is best for the South-East.

I think the country communities are the communities that are most likely to benefit from board devolution, because they are the most diverse. Can you imagine the difference in the health services in a large provincial city like Mount Gambier and the challenges of trying to deliver services in a remote community like Coober Pedy? Local solutions in the country are much more likely to be diverse and innovative, and I look forward to that being the case in the South-East.