Health Services

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:48): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Will the minister update the council on health services?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:48): I thank the honourable member for his question.

The Hon. J.E. Hanson interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Hanson will not converse with members of the government benches. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I thank the honourable member for his question. It would be reasonable to say that 2020 has been an unprecedented year for health services in South Australia. It started with health services being part of the bushfire response and, of course, along with the rest of the world, they have had to deal with COVID-19. The exemplary performance in South Australia highlights not only the expertise of the leadership of the health system but the skill, dedication and hard work of the whole health system.

Today, I would like to particularly highlight a couple of those members, and I do so because they themselves have been highlighted through the recent Australia Day honours. It would be fair to say that the health services community is particularly well represented in the Australia Day honours. That is particularly noteworthy because the Australia Day organisation, as I understand it, has decided not to grant awards in the context of COVID but to leave that for another day.

As I said, the community was very well represented in the South Australian Australia Day honours, and I would like to highlight two members because (a) they are personally known to me and (b) they are representative of extremely high-quality South Australian health professionals and volunteers.

The first person I would like to highlight is David Place, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Ambulance Service. Of course, the staff of SAAS do an outstanding job every day in responding to South Australians at vulnerable and potentially life-threatening times. Their service is invaluable, and David Place as their CEO has worked tirelessly to support SAAS frontline paramedics. His place in the Australia Day honours is well deserved and also representative of all our paramedics.

David commenced his career with SAAS as an operational paramedic in 1984. He was only the second operational staff member to be appointed to the SAAS executive team in 2000. In 2018, he actually became the first operational staff member to be appointed to the role of the chief executive officer, and I think it is great to see people who started in the organisation as operational paramedics progress to the most senior roles of the organisation.

He did have a hiatus, if you like; in 2004 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the State Emergency Service and then further appointed to the position of Chief Executive of the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission. Mr Place has had an exemplary ambulance career and is a role model and a strategic leader. SAAS's contribution is further highlighted by the award to Jennifer Annette, who has been a volunteer SAAS paramedic in Kimba and the Far North and West Coast region for over 30 years, beginning in 1990.

The second health service community person I would like to mention as a representative of a stellar band is the service of Anne Burgess. Anne was also recognised in the Australia Day honours for her service in the areas of mental health and older people, both very significant areas in South Australia. Anne Burgess has served the state admirably in a range of roles. The one where I perhaps first got to know her was as vice-present and chair of the Policy Council of the Council on the Ageing.

It was my pleasure as the Minister for Health and Wellbeing to appoint her as a member of the governing board of the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network in 2019. It did not surprise me that Ms Burgess has made an outstanding contribution to that board. It is a good example of where a board member, working with clinicians and the community, can progress areas in need. It wouldn't surprise the house to know that Ms Anne Burgess has been particularly instrumental in strengthening community consultation and community engagement in relation to mental health services response.

As I said, David Place and Anne Burgess are two of an illustrious band of South Australians who were recognised in the Australia Day honours. To each of those, but also to the tens of thousands of South Australians who serve us in the health services area, we honour you all and we congratulate you on your service.