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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-02-18 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

MARJORIE JACKSON-NELSON HOSPITAL

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: In June 2007, I announced that this government would build a new hospital for all South Australians to be opened in 2016. This new $1.7 billion central facility will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for patients and staff and will launch medical care in this state into the 21st century. It will contain single-bed patient rooms with ensuites which provide the best environment to avoid the scourge of modern day health facilities known as hospital-borne infections.

It will be bigger than the current Royal Adelaide Hospital with an expanded capacity in its emergency department and intensive care units. It will have more operating theatres, and theatres that are larger in order to accommodate the most modern equipment for a 21st century hospital. This new central hospital will be Australia's leading hospital, providing all South Australians with the very best facilities and health care. It will be the best and most modern hospital in Australia. It will be the best equipped hospital in Australia.

At the time of the announcement, I also revealed that the hospital would bear the name of Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, a beloved former governor of South Australia. Marjorie Jackson-Nelson is an Australian legend and a revered Olympian. She had won two Olympic gold medals, seven Commonwealth Games gold medals and became the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics. She set 13 world records and, in doing so, she massively boosted the profile and success of women's athletics in Australia.

Last year, in Beijing, she was bestowed with the International Olympic Committee's highest honour, the Olympic Order, in recognition of a lifetime of maintaining the Olympic ideal internationally in all that she does and has done, but this was not the only reason we chose to name the hospital after her.

Marjorie Jackson-Nelson has been massively involved in fundraising for medical research for the past 32 years. Her commitment began when, as a young wife and mother, she supported her husband, former Olympic cyclist Peter Nelson, in his long battle against leukaemia. Following his death in 1977, and inspired by her husband's struggle, she formed the Peter Nelson Leukaemia Research Fellowship to raise much-needed funds for cancer research.

She was determined to make a real and lasting difference in the fight against this disease that affects so many lives. For more than three decades she has been committed, selfless and tireless in her support for the work of researchers in finding a cure for cancer. She has led a small group of volunteers which has raised $5 million and which last year appointed its ninth researcher at the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research.

Marjorie Jackson-Nelson was appointed governor of South Australia by former premier John Olsen. It was a terrific choice. She was sworn in at the time of Rob Kerin's premiership, and she served in the vice-regal position with distinction for six years. She has received Australia's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia, and during our nation's bicentenary celebrations she was named as one of only 20 living members of the 200 greatest Australians. She has also been inducted into the International Women's Hall of Fame in New York.

Naming South Australia's new central hospital in her honour was a much-deserved accolade for a woman of such integrity—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: How dare the Leader of the Opposition—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —try to belittle Marjorie Jackson-Nelson. You are not fit to do so.

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Naming South Australia's new central hospital in her honour was a much-deserved accolade for a woman of such integrity and grace who has contributed so much to public life in South Australia over so many decades.

However, the subsequent reaction to this decision was decidedly mixed. It has ranged from strong support to some entirely negative commentary that has been deeply disappointing and more than a little puzzling. As I understand, there was no similar vitriol when the Playford government named the major new hospital in our northern suburbs after a politician, the health minister Lyell McEwin.

Just imagine if we adopted the same approach here now. I cannot recall hearing snide remarks from the Leader of the Opposition when the Roma Mitchell Performing Arts Centre, the Roma Mitchell Building or the Mitchell Oration were named after another wonderful and much-respected governor, Dame Roma Mitchell.

No-one argues with the public's right to criticise government. There are no qualms about the merits of publicly debating the choice of the new hospital's name. That is democracy in action, but some of the attacks have been deeply personal, aimed at Marjorie and her contribution, rather than simply at our choice of her name for the new hospital.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: You can feel their shame.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Some of the attacks have been deeply personal, aimed directly at Marjorie and her contribution, rather than simply at our choice of her name for the new hospital.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Some of it was, of course, political and totally partisan.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will be heard without interruption.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Some of it, of course, was political and totally partisan. Some of it was personal, as well as poisonous, shameful, as well as shallow, by people who will be long forgotten while Marjorie Jackson-Nelson's reputation remains untarnished. I will not lend undeserved credibility to that commentary by repeating it here today.

The SPEAKER: Point of order. The Premier will take his seat.

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH: Mr Speaker, standing orders are very clear on the purpose of ministerial statements. The Premier is using a ministerial statement not only to debate but to make false accusations without the ability of anyone to respond, and I ask you to consider what he has been saying and ask whether it is appropriately within the ambit of a ministerial statement or whether it is debate and false accusation.

The SPEAKER: There is no prohibition from entering debate in a ministerial statement. The ministerial statement is given with the leave of the house, and in the standing orders there is no prohibition on the minister giving the statement from entering into debate. The Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I will not lend undeserved credibility to that commentary by repeating some of it here today. Some of it has been truly shameful. But I remind members of the contribution made by the member for Bragg, the opposition spokesperson for health, who said on 12 June 2007, 'You know my husband died of cancer. I didn't expect the government to ring me and say, "We'll name this the Vickie Chapman Memorial Hospital."' How shameful. Given these regrettable personal attacks, it is understandable that Mrs Jackson-Nelson has asked me that the hospital project proceed without the dedication in her name to avoid, in her own words—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —'controversy continuing about a project that can only benefit South Australia'.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I will read that again.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Unley is warned!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: How dare the Leader of the Opposition accuse Marjorie Jackson-Nelson of a backflip. You are shameful!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Given these regrettable—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Given these regrettable personal attacks, it is understandable that Mrs Jackson-Nelson has asked me that the hospital project proceed without the dedication in her name to avoid, in her words—and I will quote directly—'controversy continuing about a project that can only benefit South Australia'. She has also respectfully declined the opportunity to have her contribution to South Australia honoured in some other way. This is very disappointing, but, of course, we respect and understand her wishes. She remains—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: She remains one of our nation's greatest athletes, one of our most inspirational volunteers, one of our state's most respected governors, and one of Australia's most beloved citizens. I am sure that the vast majority of South Australians will share my disappointment that the comments of a small but vocal minority have contributed to stopping this dedication to a woman who has given so much to our community over the course of her life.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: As a result, I can now advise that the new hospital will retain the name the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Work is already underway on the new site—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —and construction of the new hospital will start next year.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: They think it's funny. They think it's funny that so much hurt has been done to this great Australian. The new hospital, with the same name, will open in seven years' time. More important than anything, South Australians will have access to a new hospital that provides more beds, increased capacity, and significantly improved infection control. So, to whom will we dedicate this hospital? The hospital will be dedicated to those millions of patients who will benefit from it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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