Health Services

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (16:01): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding unanswered questions.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: On 9 May 2018, the Treasurer was asked a question by the Hon. John Darley about responding to questions taken on notice within the 30-day time period the government set for themselves. The Treasurer responded that—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: I am asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, but the content of the matter relates to what was stated by the Treasurer. I will finish the question first and maybe then we will all be much more clarified. On 9 May 2018, the Treasurer was asked a question by the Hon. John Darley about responding to questions taken on notice within the 30-day time period the government set for themselves. The Treasurer responded:

On behalf of my ministerial colleagues, I give you the undertaking that, to the extent that we can, we will endeavour to comply with the spirit and intent of the sessional order in relation to questions that we take on notice during question time.

Since July 2018, there are approximately 30 questions that the minister has taken on notice which he has not provided a response to. This includes on subjects such as Silver Chain, SHINE SA, KordaMentha, food contamination, NDIS funding and syphilis outbreaks. My question to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing is: why has the minister not provided answers to these questions, and will the minister commit to providing these answers before the end of this sitting week?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (16:03): I will certainly follow up on the particular questions that the honourable member raises, but there is a point to be made here between questions on notice and questions without notice taken on notice. I will certainly seek to comply with the policy of the government which, as I said earlier, makes the practice of the former government through the years that I was in this parliament look very pallid. We take this chamber seriously.