House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-11 Daily Xml

Contents

MARJORIE JACKSON-NELSON HOSPITAL

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:59): My question is to the Premier. When will the contract be signed for the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital? The government's document for the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital states that the contract will be signed in early 2010, but last week the Minister for Health said publicly that the contract was unlikely to be signed before March 2010.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Transport will come to order.

Members interjecting:

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

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) (15:00): When I was leader of the opposition, if I had come out and said that all the announcements I have made up to now are null and void because we cannot cost them—here's the quote—

Ms CHAPMAN: I have a point of order, sir. The question was when will the contract be signed. It has nothing to do with the Leader of the Opposition.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the Minister for Transport!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We have had a very good question time. My blood pressure is doing very well and I do not want to spoil it with only 14 minutes to go.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport will come to order while the Speaker is on his feet. In addressing the deputy leader's point of order, I am not sure what the Premier is about to say, but it must relate to the substance of the question, which is the signing date of the contract for the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Thank you, sir. It is by way of comparison. The difference is that we stand by our commitments in relation to the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital.

Ms CHAPMAN: I have a point of order, sir. This is clearly an attempt by the Premier to defy your position on the answer in relation to the date when the contract will be signed. It is not a comparison. We have not proposed a Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital.

The SPEAKER: Order! I am not in a position to rule on it until I know what the Premier says.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: It is extremely difficult for someone as sensitive as me to answer the question in the way in which you want me to answer it. I know you want me to answer in a simple way and I understand why. You keep talking over the top of me, even though you have been warned twice. I make the pledge today—so let the word go forth from this time and place—that we will sign the contract in 2010. The Leader of the Opposition on ABC Radio was asked by David Bevan, 'Do you agree that you are going to have to go back and revisit each of the promises you have made while you have been leader?' Hamilton-Smith said, 'Absolutely, Matt.' He got the wrong guy. He continued, 'There is no question about that. It's that we haven't made election promises yet. We will do that in March 2010.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I can understand why the Leader of the Opposition is turning red.

Mrs REDMOND: I have a point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will take his seat.

Mrs REDMOND: Sir, you have already ruled that the Premier's answer had to be specifically on the point of the question and, thus far, nothing he has said has gone anywhere near the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I uphold the point of order.