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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-18 Daily Xml
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Hospital Overcrowding

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): My question is again to the Premier. Why did the Premier's state budget cut 880 staff from SA Health at a time when nurses and midwives are calling for crisis meetings over this government's failure to address hospital overcrowding?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:15): I'm so glad to have this question. As you would appreciate, sir, this wasn't a yes or no question.

The SPEAKER: No, it was not.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There was a lot of scope put in this question, and again I say to the Leader of the Opposition that he might like to think about who he gets to write his questions.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Knowing the Australian Labor Party, knowing the failure that they've had in question time over such a long period of time, they've probably got a new mechanism. They've probably got a new caucus meeting to decide who is going to be answering the questions. There's probably 40 of them. They will all be fighting to see who is going to be chair of that committee, to find out who is going to be answering the questions because they are getting more and more—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Premier, be seated for one moment. The Premier will be seated for one moment, please. The member for West Torrens on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, the Premier, unprovoked, began to debate the question immediately.

The SPEAKER: Premier, I ask you to please stick to the substance of the question.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: And the question, sir, was about the alleged cuts—

The SPEAKER: I'll listen carefully in silence, please. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —that the new government put into the budget for health. We will be going through the health budget in a lot of detail when estimates starts here in our parliament. In fact, health estimates is next week. I really hope that the Leader of the Opposition attends those estimates committees and listens to the state of the health system that he left for the people of South Australia. What he will learn is that in fact the new government has put money back into the health system in South Australia.

We have put $800 million back in to do away with many of the cuts that were put in place by the former minister, the now Leader of the Opposition, in terms of health cuts in South Australia. The cuts—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —that they had in the Mid-Year Budget Review—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —the cuts that the former government had in the Mid-Year Budget Review were of such an extraordinary magnitude that the new government had to put an additional $800 million into the budget to have a more sustainable budget for the health system in South Australia. And we do that proudly. We do that proudly, but it's a pity that those opposite couldn't come clean with the people of South Australia in the lead-up to the election.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Is the Premier finished? The Premier is finished. Before I call the member for Kaurna, I call the following members to order: the Minister for Child Protection, the member for Elizabeth, the member for Lee, the member for Reynell and the Minister for Transport. The member for Kaurna has the call.

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