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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-21 Daily Xml
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NARACOORTE HOSPITAL

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister confirm that the Naracoorte Hospital cannot open its chemotherapy chairs due to a lack of properly trained staff, despite these chairs being available for treatment for about the last four months and the minister having posed in one of the chairs for a publicity photograph?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:25): I find it rather extraordinary to be criticised by the Leader of the Opposition for a publicity stunt. It is rather galling coming from the man who takes journalists out on his yacht to accuse me of a publicity stunt, but nonetheless I will turn to the substance of the question, sir.

The SPEAKER: That would be good.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I have been down to the new chemotherapy unit at Naracoorte. I don't think there have been any necessary delays. My understanding is that it was always anticipated that there would be some time between the facility being opened and the staff required for that facility to staff that facility receiving the appropriate training. You can't just send a nurse who has no experience, who hasn't been properly trained in the administration of chemotherapy. It is a very specialised field in nursing and it does take time to train those nurses in the administration of chemotherapy.

I am not aware of there being any delays. My understanding is that it was always going to be the case that it would take some time between the physical chairs being ready and the nurses—the required staff—receiving the appropriate training in order to deliver the services. I don't know what the Leader of the Opposition would suggest; that we just put nurses in there who don't have the appropriate training to deliver the services.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order from the deputy leader, who is on two warnings already, so I hope this is not a frivolous or vexatious point of order.

Ms CHAPMAN: When he stated the words, 'The Leader of the Opposition would have us' etc.—if that's not debate I don't know what is.

The SPEAKER: The question was asked by the Leader of the Opposition and the minister is responding to it, so I would have expected it to be in order for the minister for health to remark on it being the Leader of the Opposition's question. It is a matter raised by the leader. That doesn't give the minister licence to insult the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms CHAPMAN: Well indeed it doesn't. The words were to the effect of, 'If the Leader of the Opposition would have us,' and it wasn't a question of a question there; it was a debate about what he expected the Leader of the Opposition would be demanding of the government to do. Now, that is a debate point and that is what I ask you to rule on.

The SPEAKER: If it is a breach, it is a very minor breach. The Minister for Health has finished.

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