SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (16:29): I move:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into and report on SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging, with particular reference to—

(a) the importance of high standards of safety and quality in the provision of pathology and imaging services;

(b) the importance of timeliness in the provision of pathology and imaging services and the impact of delayed results on patient outcomes and the broader South Australian health system;

(c) the importance of South Australian-based research and teaching associated with pathology and imaging services;

(d) the importance of access to pathology and medical imaging services in primary health, including the role of SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging in ensuring accessibility of health care and the provision of bulk-billed services;

(e) staff workloads within SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging and the impact of unsafe workloads on staff health and wellbeing and the quality of service provided;

(f) the impact of the 2018 state budget in regard to SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging, including the impact on staff, the quality of service provision, patient outcomes, teaching and research;

(g) the effects of potential privatisation of SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging as foreshadowed in the 2018 state budget, including the impact on staff, the quality of service provision, patient outcomes, teaching and research; and

(h) any other related matters.

2. 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.

Today, I rise to move this motion to establish a select committee to inquire into and report on SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging. In South Australia, clinicians, doctors, nurses and, most importantly, patients have access to world-class hospitals and healthcare providers. Importantly, South Australia's diverse and sophisticated network is linked to public health providers like SA Pathology, who are recognised for their high standards of medical testing and research.

SA Pathology provides our doctors with the vital information they need to assess and treat patients, handling thousands of samples a week from emergency departments, GPs, intensive care and maternity units. SA Pathology operates in public hospitals across South Australia, ensuring that vital test results are made available to patients in a timely manner. Having pathologists and doctors work as a team to manage patients reduces the risk of incorrect diagnosis and cuts the time spent by patients in hospitals.

The recent state budget is threatening to unravel this sophisticated network. The health and wellbeing of South Australians depends on services like SA Pathology. In the government's first state budget, it has cut $105 million from SA Pathology, with plans to privatise the vital health services and SA Medical Imaging. The government is also cutting 880 SA Health jobs. There was little to no consultation with SA Pathology staff about any changes, and the Premier himself promised before the election that the Liberal Party did not have a privatisation agenda.

We need this committee to thoroughly scrutinise what is being proposed and make sure that the government is not going to put profits before patients. If the government is confident in their proposal, then they would have no fears about this scrutiny. They have promised to be an open and accountable government. Destroying the connection between SA Pathology, public hospitals and GPs through privatisation could result in tests being centralised or, worse, sent interstate. The transport of samples between sites could sometimes increase the risk of errors and delayed diagnoses.

SA Pathology undertakes the most complex pathology work in South Australia, and private labs cannot compete with this. In fact, private labs send their samples to SA Pathology to manage. Regional South Australians could see longer delays in getting results for blood and other tests as their samples might be sent interstate. Privatising vital public services could impact all South Australians, and we should never put profits before the health and wellbeing of South Australians.

The community deserves answers about what effects the potential privatisation of SA Pathology and SA Medical Imaging could have on the quality of service they provide not only to patients but through teaching and research. I feel this is a timely matter as it has the potential to impact the health and wellbeing of South Australians, and that is why I seek the chamber's support to vote on this motion to establish a select committee on Wednesday 7 November. I ask that this chamber support this motion, and I look forward to working with my honourable colleagues.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens.