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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-23 Daily Xml
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ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the confidentiality clause, referred to by the Treasurer in an answer earlier, be included in contracts to be signed in the coming weeks and will they be sufficiently broad to prevent public scrutiny of any part of the contract for the operation and maintenance of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital?

The confidentiality clause that the South Australian Ombudsman has described as 'extremely broad' was included in the contract for the operation and maintenance of the Adelaide desalination plant. On 8 February 2011 the Ombudsman found 'there is a public interest in release of the contract', that is, the O&M contract for the desal plant. He further stated that it was 'with some disquiet that I consider the agency is able to withhold the contract from disclosure'.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:52): It is extraordinary that the opposition would talk about confidentiality issues in relation to contracts. I seem to remember a water contract which was completely secret from the public of South Australia. I seem to recall the sale of ETSA—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —by the opposition.

Members interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacKillop

Mr WILLIAMS: The minister is debating the answer to the question. The question was quite straightforward.

The SPEAKER: Yes. I think that you need to get back to the question, minister. Are you responding to the question or have you finished your answer?

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Well, Madam Speaker, I am happy to give some more information to the house. I was really trying to put the issue of confidentiality issues in contracts in context, and the context I was making was that there is a long history in this state of having confidentiality provisions within contracts. I will get some further advice for the member as to precisely what will happen, but can I say that it is the government's view that as much of the information as is practicable should be put in the public domain, because we think that this is a good deal for the taxpayers and they should understand how and why it is a good deal.

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