House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-11-13 Daily Xml

Contents

WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Now that the government has announced the Women's and Children's Hospital will open at the rail yards site in 2023, is the government still proceeding with the $64 million upgrade of the Women's and Children's Hospital announced in the budget, due for completion in 2016?

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) (15:04): Of course, we are reviewing that because, if we are moving in 10 years, it will not be appropriate for some of those upgrades to happen. Some of that $64 million will need to be spent to ensure that it continues to be the first-class hospital that it is but, naturally enough, if you are moving in 10 years, some of that $64 million will not need to be spent because of the shelf life of the hospital, ending in 2023.

We are going through that and having a look, and closely reviewing those projects to make a determination about which we proceed with because we have to and which we do not. That is where we are at. That is where we are at. It is interesting that the member for Morphett should still be referring in a derogatory way to what he calls 'the railway site'. It is interesting to hear the language that they are using. They still cannot help but talk down our new Royal Adelaide Hospital and indeed, by implication, the Women's and Children's Hospital.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is on the precipice. The member for Morphett.