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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-18 Daily Xml
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ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:09): My question is for the Minister for Health, and it relates to comments that he made earlier. Why does the Minister for Health claim that the idea for the rail yards hospital originated from experts, whom he says the government consulted, when on 18 February this year the Premier said:

Rather than naming it after John Hill, whose idea was the hospital, we chose a great Australian, a governor of this state.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Health.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:10): The trivia that is behind this question is extraordinary. We are dealing with the fundamentally important issue of the provision of health services to the public of South Australia. Our side of the house has a plan, a strategy, to ensure that there are sufficient health resources available under very difficult circumstances with the growth and demand and difficulties in supplying trained personnel in key areas. We have come up with a strategy which we believe will provide extra beds and extra services to the public for the future.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will not have bickering going on while the minister is attempting to answer the question.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: So, that is what we are trying to do. I said to the Department of Health, 'I want a strategy to deal with the issues that you have told me are facing our community—come back with a strategy.' They went away and then came back with an integrated strategy about health infrastructure, workforce, balance between primary and acute care, and a whole range of things.

One of the elements in that strategy was the proposition that we needed to build the RAH on a new site because it just did not work to keep it where it was. I took that strategy to cabinet and cabinet endorsed it. That is what I have said before. There is no difference between what I have said and the trivial kind of notion in the question that somehow or other the Premier got it wrong because it was really my idea after all.

Clearly, when a minister takes a package to cabinet, it is his submission, it is his or her package, and to suggest otherwise is really demeaning this place and demeaning to all of us in this place. Question time should be about serious matters that are of importance to the public—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —not about trivial pursuit.

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