KordaMentha

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:26): Supplementary: my question was, has SA Health responded to the report?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:26): I thank the honourable member for his supplementary question. Let me clarify the process here. Phase 1 is a diagnostic. In other words: what's the problem you're grappling with? Phase 2 is a development of implementation plan: how can we recover the problems identified in phase 1? Phase 3 is the implementation of the implementation plan. Phase 3, as I said, is currently out to a procurement process, which has currently received applications from nine bodies. My understanding is that KordaMentha is one of them. I don't know the identity of the other eight.

The whole process is leading to a cabinet decision. I can assure you that this government takes very seriously the issues highlighted in the diagnostic report and we will take very seriously the need to do due diligence on the implementation plan presented as a result of phase 2. In terms of SA Health responding to the KordaMentha report, it's not actually a responsibility of the department to respond to the phase 1 diagnostic report or the phase 2 implementation report. I see that fundamentally as a duty of government.

The procurement process is underway. We expect that we will be able to announce both the phase 3 partner and also a response to the implementation plan—not just releasing the implementation plan but the government's intentions in relation to it—in the coming weeks.