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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-10 Daily Xml
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QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:54): My question is also to the Treasurer. Has the Treasurer approved the $7 million budget increase that the Minister for Health announced this morning? In a media statement issued this morning the minister announced, 'The $127 million second stage of the QEH redevelopment is continuing.' This year's budget, however, listed the total project cost for the development at $120 million.

Mr Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for West Torrens!

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:54): To give the Treasurer's voice a bit of a break, I will take the question. I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition because it gives me an opportunity to put on the record what the government is doing at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I heard the question, Deputy Leader of the Opposition. The stage 2B redevelopment of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital has been expanded by $7 million and that money is within the budget lines of the Department of Health. We have done that because we are putting in a different set of arrangements compared to what was originally planned—it is more services for the community of the western suburbs—so, stage 2 will now be worth $127 million.

We were originally planning to convert the old maternity services building into office accommodation and teaching facilities but we decided that, rather than doing that, we would rather build facilities that will help patients directly. So, we are creating a new mental health unit and new treatment areas, particularly in the area of rehabilitation. Of course, those other needs (accommodation for doctors and other staff, and other teaching services) will be part of stage 3, which we have started planning. Stage 3 will include the upgrading of the emergency department, medical imaging area, outpatients area and operating theatres.

Contrary to what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said in the media today, we are committed to continuing with stage 3, and the decisions in relation to stage 2 advance some of the proposals, particularly those that are in line with the state Health Care Plan. That really means focusing on rehabilitation and mental health facilities—two areas, I think, members would agree are very much needed in the western suburbs.

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