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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-11-11 Daily Xml
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Public Health Services, Western Suburbs

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Will the minister update the house on public health services in Adelaide's west?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (15:05): I am very happy to have this question from the member for Colton, who talks regularly about the importance of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital to his community whenever he has the opportunity to speak to any minister, indeed, particularly, I know, the Minister for Health. It's perhaps with that in mind that I am very pleased the Minister for Health happens to have provided me with some information this morning, which I am happy also to share with the house.

Also, in reflecting on that, it's worth noting that Labor, when they were in government—and, by my recollection, the Leader of the Opposition was probably the health minister at the time—promised that there would be a stage 3 redevelopment of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. In fact, so keen were they, allegedly, on this at the time that they cancelled that promise and then they promised it again and then they cancelled it again.

This government, the Marshall Liberal government, takes a different approach to public policy. When we make a commitment to the people of South Australia, we mean it and we do whatever is in our power to deliver it. When it comes to the health and wellbeing of our communities, communities such as the member for Colton's in the western suburbs, we are working very hard to take a project, to get it right and then to work on its delivery, not as Labor did—

Mr Picton: Delayed for two years.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is called to order.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —and announce it when it suits for electoral purposes and then cancel it and then announce again when it suits for electoral purposes and then cancel it. Ultimately, at the end of 16 long years in government, a long litany of failure where the Transforming Health experiment on the people of South Australia, perpetrated by those opposite, was seen to have failed, this government is now taking steps to deliver it.

We know that Labor downgraded services at The QEH as part of Transforming Health. In contrast, we are investing. In fact, we as the Marshall Liberal government have returned 24/7 cardiac services to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and we have invested $4 million to upgrade the cardiac cath labs. Unlike Labor, who promised and then cancelled, we have already completed the first phase of stage 3 of the stage 3 redevelopment, being the multilevel car park.

As part of the Marshall Liberal government's commitment to clinician and community engagement, we have been consulting on the further phases of the stage 3 redevelopment. Imagine for one moment if—rather than the former government's approach of ignoring clinicians, listening instead to whoever was selling whatever product on the international convention circuit at the time and pursuing issues like Transforming Health—they had spoken to clinicians during the period of government. We might not have got into the problem the Leader of the Opposition as Minister for Health and his predecessors found themselves in.

We have listened to feedback from the clinicians. We are expanding the scope of the project to deliver the services that the west needs. We will increase treatment bays at the emergency department from 31 to 46. An extra operating theatre will be added, increasing total capacity to 12. A new 14-bed ICU will be built, and we are investing an additional $50 million to support this added work, bringing the total budget to $314 million. Labor's plan, by contrast, had no extra treatment bays and they were going to cut ICU capacity under Transforming Health.

Mr Picton: Wrong, wrong, wrong!

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Construction works will begin in the second half of next year and are expected to be completed in 2024. This is just another example of the Marshall Liberal government delivering better services, supporting Adelaide's west, after Labor's cuts and neglect over 16 long, long years.

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Lee, I warn the member for Playford for a second time.

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