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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-28 Daily Xml
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MARJORIE JACKSON-NELSON HOSPITAL

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:12): My question is to the Premier. Has the budget for the $1.7 billion Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital blown out already? In the Treasurer's budget speech he announced $157 million over four years for the relocation of the Adelaide railyards and for new signal facilities to modernise the rail network, and 'to improve the site for the new central hospital', but on 25 February 2008, at a hearing of the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee, Mr Jim Hallion said:

The first point I make is that the $157 million is about relocation of the railcar depot from North Terrace...so, the major decontamination issues...are covered in the hospital budget not in the rail relocation budget.

The health department has informed the opposition that, for the area of 170,000 square metres that is proposed for the new hospital, the estimate of the cost to build—based on other hospitals built around Australia—is $10,000 per square metre. There was no mention of (or provision for) the decontamination of the site being included in that budget.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:14): I am very pleased to answer this question. I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for asking it. She is obviously confused about the way the costings have been made, but the costs of the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: You think she's right, do you? Do you on that side honestly think the deputy leader is right on this issue? It would be the first time ever if she were. The cost of the hospital has been estimated at $1.7 billion, and that includes the construction of the site and a whole range of other works associated with it. The removal of the railway lines and the construction of new terminals is part of the DTEI budget, and that is being managed separately. There is some clean-up work that the transport department (DTEI) has to do on part of the site—or adjacent to the site—and there is some clean-up that has to be done—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Just listen. Some clean-up has to be done—or decontamination, if you prefer that term—under the site where the hospital will be constructed. There is allowance in the $1.7 billion—and I am told that it is adequate—to provide for the decontamination of the site. Members have to understand that we are talking about a hospital which takes up a massive amount of the site, and there will be excavation to the extent of having, I think, three floors of car parking and other services underground. So, by the process of actually building the hospital, an enormous amount of contaminated soil will be moved off site. Nonetheless, there is provision in the budget to allow that to happen appropriately.

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