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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-17 Daily Xml
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ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:11): My question is to the Treasurer. Has a business case or similar document been completed by any government department or any external consultant regarding the construction of a hospital at the rail yards site since October last year? The Tasmanian government announced on Monday 19 May that it would no longer be proceeding with its construction of a hospital on the rail yards site in Hobart. The decision followed the production of a business case dated May 2009, which stated:

Treasury has advised that the investment required for the construction of a new hospital will not be affordable for the state within the foreseeable future due to the downturn in economic conditions.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (15:12): That is why we cancelled the prisons. I got the first question of the day as to why we cancelled the prisons, or to that effect. We cancelled the prisons, because it was a lower priority order and something had to give. The funny thing is that I met David Bartlett, the Tasmanian Premier, a couple of weeks ago at a Council of Australian Governments meeting, and he was saying to me that, yes, he had to cancel it, as we were considering the cancellation of our prisons, because they could not afford it. He said, 'You know what? We're getting belted around the ears by the Liberal opposition, who are arguing that we shouldn't be cancelling the new hospital and we should be putting in a new hospital in Hobart.' Over here, the argument is the other way around.

Does that not say a lot about politics? But guess who else has said, 'We might build a hospital over the rail yards'? The Deputy Leader of the Opposition. This is the weird twilight zone that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition operates in. She came out and said she wants to build, or investigate building, a brand new Women's and Children's Hospital. When she was asked where she would do that (apparently, there is a bit of land she thought she could find at the back of the Royal Adelaide Hospital), she said she would consider the rail yards. So, she is considering the rail yards for the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Ms Chapman: We're asking the people, unlike you.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: That just exposes the shallowness and the opportunism of the opposition's position on the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: What happened to the earthquakes?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: That's right. We can build a football stadium on the rail yards and put 60,000 people at risk once a week, but we could not build a hospital there, because of the risk of an earthquake.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Unless you're women and children; women and children keep earthquakes away.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Yes, little people are immune from earthquake effects.

The Hon. R.J. McEwen: Lower ceilings!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: That's it: lower ceilings. Now I understand the method in their logic. It could be a cheaper hospital, but a little tiny hospital.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: A baby hospital.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: A baby hospital.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I do not understand the question.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: For goodness sake, will you let me answer the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Can't you get the deputy leader to shush for an answer?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Is she like this in your caucus meetings?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: What do you call it? Your party room then. Is she like this in your party room meetings? I cannot wait to see Isobel as the most senior female on the Liberal Party front bench.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Blame Thatcher. Vickie will go tumbling down. We did a business case at the outset of this project.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: For goodness sake, let me answer the question.

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: We did a business case to determine whether we would rebuild on the existing site or build the hospital on a new site.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacKillop is warned.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: It's not a good day to get named, Mitch; it's not a good look on your CV.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: We did a business case at the outset.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: If the question that the deputy leader has asked me is: have we done one since the Tasmanian decision—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Well, I would assume no. Why would we have done one? We have not done one, have we, minister? I do not understand what the deputy leader meant by that, because the decision of the Tasmanian government not to proceed with the hospital was not because it was not the right policy option but because it could not afford it.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the deputy leader!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: They couldn't afford it; just like we have cut prisons.

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley.

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