Repat Health Precinct

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (14:58): My question is for the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister please update the council on the government's progress at the Repat Health Precinct?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for her question. On Tuesday of last week, 9 November, I had the pleasure of attending the Repat Health Precinct along with the Premier and the member for Elder in the other place to announce another milestone with construction being completed for the town square and sports stadium.

Looking back on that same date four years ago, Labor moved the last patient off the site and closed the Repat as part of its Transforming Health experiment. I am extremely proud to be a part of the Marshall Liberal government, which saved the Repat from sale and is investing in reactivating this much-loved site. The town square is located in the heart of the site and will act as a central hub where all patients and visitors can access the square in their health recovery journey.

The square is an expansive space with walking paths, landscaping, access to the sports stadium, the Veteran Wellbeing Centre, the community playground and the SBF Hall, with one of the pods of the hall being converted into a cafe for the site which directly faces the town square. The town square has been named Bill's Place, after Bill Schmitt, a highly-respected veteran.

Just two days later, I returned to the Repat on Remembrance Day, and I acknowledge that the Hon. Tung Ngo was representing the parliamentary opposition on that day. I had the privilege to plant a descendant of the Lone Pine within the town square, marking the significance of the Repat site and the continued connection to the veterans of South Australia.

As I mentioned earlier, the visit on the 9^th also saw the opening of the new sports stadium. The stadium has been specifically designed to be suitable for wheelchair users, including community wheelchair sports such as basketball and football. These community events will complement the primary day-to-day use of the gym which will be for those who are receiving health care at the Repat.

An example of this is the use of the gym for patients using the brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation facility. This facility is on track to reach construction completion by the end of this year. With these milestones and the overall state and commonwealth government investment of $125 million, the Repat is coming back to life—a site that was destined for closure under the government of the members opposite.

As we continue to celebrate more milestones in the reactivation of the Repat, it is becoming increasingly clear that the disastrous Transforming Health experiment almost destroyed a treasure of South Australian health care. I am proud to say that the Repat will be a treasure—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —for our state's healthcare system for decades to come.