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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-07-29 Daily Xml
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Women's and Children's Hospital

Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (15:15): My question is to the Minister for Health. Given the government's announcement to move the Women's and Children's Hospital in approximately 10 years, what will the government do to increase parking around the hospital to ensure the safety and access of staff and families using the hospital?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:15): I am very happy to take this question. I have to say, the problems that we have had with parking around the Women's and Children's Hospital are entirely the result of parking restrictions that have been imposed for the last number of years by the Adelaide City Council. I find it somewhat galling to see Councillor Anne Moran all pompous protecting certain residents in the suburb of North Adelaide from being inconvenienced by hardworking nurses and families wanting to visit sick children, and getting all pompous about it as if this was somehow the result of some failing by the state government, when she knows full well it is her nimbyism, which is her whole approach to public life, that has resulted in this problem.

We have done a number of things to try to reduce the inconvenience, particularly to our nursing staff after hours, with making sure that, if they are having to walk to a car, they are escorted by security and that procedures are put in place to try to reduce the inconvenience. But Anne Moran and the Adelaide City Council cannot get off the hook on this one, because there is no doubt that all the problems we have had with parking around the Women's and Children's Hospital have been entirely imposed by the Adelaide City Council.

The Adelaide City Council is willing to provide exemptions for some particular areas, for various sporting clubs and so on, and yet when it comes to the families of sick children, the Adelaide City Council would rather stand up for their mates in North Adelaide. Councillor Moran is looking after her constituency in North Adelaide and would always put those people ahead of the families of sick children, and I find it particularly galling but—

Ms Sanderson: What are you doing about it?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —we will do everything we can to reduce—

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —as much as we can the inconvenience to the relatives of sick children and to our hardworking nursing staff who work there. No, we won't be investing in increasing the size of the car park there because it would not make sense to, because our intention is to move the Women's and Children's Hospital in around a 10-year time frame. It would simply not be a good use of taxpayers' money to invest in expanding that car park when, in the medium term, our objective is to—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: If the Leader of the Opposition took a greater interest in the families of sick children rather than siding with the Adelaide City Council and Councillor Moran—

Mr PISONI: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated. The member for Unley?

Mr PISONI: I take you to 127: making personal reflections and also imputing improper motives on another member.

The SPEAKER: Yes, that may be so, but the leader was shouting at the top of his voice at the minister, which—

Mr Williams: He can get louder than that.

The SPEAKER: 'Louder than that'—the minister was responding to the interjection. He shouldn't do that, but I am not going to call him out of order, because he responded to a hollered interjection.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir: the minister said that the Leader of the Opposition put the interests of others before that of children and that is imputing improper motives. I ask that it be withdrawn.

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley has raised his second point of order as bogus and he will leave the house under the sessional order for the next hour. The minister.

The honourable member for Unley having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Of course, we will not be investing in expanding the car park there simply because our long-term or medium-term ambition is to move the Women's and Children's Hospital. I have no doubt that we will make sure that, when we do that, we will ensure that there is plenty of parking space for both staff at the hospital and especially for the families of sick children who are seeking to visit patients in the Women's and Children's Hospital.

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