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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-14 Daily Xml
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Repatriation General Hospital

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (14:57): To the Minister for Regional Development: in recognising that cabinet discussions are in confidence, is the minister able to provide me with a copy of his diary note of when he has met with any health department staff about the Repat site?

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: Can you repeat that question?

Mr GRIFFITHS: The question to the Minister for Regional Development is: is he able to provide me with a copy of a diary note identifying a briefing he has been provided with by health department staff about the Repat site redevelopment?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:58): Let me be quite clear here: there is a group of experts who will determine the model of care and the best place to put Ward 17. On that group is people like Brigadier Laurie Lewis, Bronson Horan and Sandy McFarlane. All of these people would be light years ahead of any of this mob in their knowledge of post-traumatic stress. I've never met a more ignorant mob in my life than those opposite, who would not know a single thing, who wouldn't know a veteran with post-traumatic stress if they tripped over one. What a load of ignorant—

The SPEAKER: Yes, point of order.

Mr GARDNER: Sir, given your recent rulings about bleating and braying, I would submit that 'this mob' clearly must be unparliamentary as well.

The SPEAKER: Could the Minister for Health make an act of contrition?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: About 'this mob'?

The SPEAKER: Yes.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Of course, sir, I very happily withdraw 'this mob', but it is a colloquialism, 'this mob', in referring to a group. But, if the opposition takes offence at 'this mob', I happily withdraw it, sir. The simple fact is we have an expert group who are looking at this very issue about the location of Ward 17—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: a conditional apology when he has clearly used unparliamentary language is utterly unacceptable.

The SPEAKER: I am not ruling that it is unparliamentary, but I think it is not—

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: If the opposition is offended, I apologise, sir.

The SPEAKER: Whether they take offence or not, I asked for an act of contrition.

Mr KNOLL: There is a mob of emus, a mob of kangaroos, and a mob of meerkats, so 'mob' does refer to an animal, which is unparliamentary.

The SPEAKER: Is that from Erskine May, or the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association or is it just from the dictionary? Could the member for Schubert elaborate?

Mr KNOLL: A mob is a collective noun used for various Indigenous Australian animals; therefore, the term 'this mob'—

The SPEAKER: It's a colloquialism used by Aboriginal Australians to describe fellow Aboriginal people.

Mr PENGILLY: Just on the matter of mobs, speaking as a humble farmer with sheep, we have mobs of sheep.

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Finniss to order. Is the Minister for Health finished?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: No, there's plenty more where that came from, sir. There is a process in place with eminent experts in the field of post-traumatic stress and representatives of veterans. I understand there are going to be people, veterans, who have strong feelings about this particular issue, but the government will be listening to experts in the field, representatives of veterans' groups. Most importantly, we will be determining the location for the new Ward 17 based upon what provides the best clinical care for those with post-traumatic stress. That will then determine the location.

What I won't allow to happen is a politically predetermined outcome to then compromise what the model of care should be for those with post-traumatic stress. That is an appropriate way to approach this issue. I think that it is pretty poor for certain people to try and play politics with this important matter.

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