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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-06-23 Daily Xml
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Women's and Children's Hospital

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:29): My question is to the Premier. Why is there no additional funding or programs, either recurrent or capital, for the current Women's and Children's Hospital for the next six years until the new hospital opens, in spite of the ED being under extraordinary pressure? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna will resume his seat for a moment. The Minister for Energy and Mining rises on a point of order.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Mr Speaker, I know you are extremely lenient with members opposite providing a lot of information before they seek leave but, under standing orders, I think the member for Kaurna has gone too far in this case.

The SPEAKER: I don't uphold the point of order, insofar as what I would prefer to do is hear the balance of the question. I remind the member for Kaurna of the necessity to avail himself of the procedure in standing order 97, if that is in fact the course he wants to take. The member for Kaurna has the call.

Mr PICTON: Thank you. With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PICTON: Last night, the Women's and Children's Hospital emergency department for paediatric patients was at 250 per cent of its capacity, and the new hospital is not scheduled to open now for another six years.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:31): I think the question is about the time between now and when the new Women's and Children's Hospital, which those opposite actually oppose, opens.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The Leader of the Opposition has been asking the question to colleagues—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —'When did we oppose that situation?' Well, let me run through all the times you've opposed it. Admittedly, the leader would be right if he were running the party back in 2013 because for a short window it was the Labor Party's policy to build a new co-located Women's and Children's Hospital with the Royal Adelaide Hospital—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader will cease interjecting.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —but since 2016 it has not been their policy. If the Leader of the Opposition would like to update people, that would be new information.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: He's screaming, he's shouting.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: He's obviously concerned and frustrated. He hasn't got any supporters here today who are jumping up to defend him, and this is compounding his anxiety and frustration. The reality is that really since 2016—oh, here we go!

The SPEAKER: The Premier will resume his seat. The member for West Torrens rises on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 98, sir: that was just entirely debate and didn't go anywhere near answering the substance—

The Hon. S.S. Marshall: And it took you three minutes to respond!

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will cease interjecting. The member for West Torrens has the call.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: He didn't go anywhere near the substance of the question, sir.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The level of interjections just made it impossible for me to hear what the member for West Torrens had to say, particularly just on that last moment—on all sides.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The Premier is not answering the substance of the question. He is debating the answer.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. The member for Kaurna asked a question and sought and obtained leave, in accordance with standing order 97, in relation to a specific matter of concern in relation to the Women's and Children's Hospital. I direct the Premier, in his answer, to respond to the specific question. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Can I just ask the member to give the question again specifically.

An honourable member: You're joking!

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! What I will do is give the member for Kaurna the opportunity, should he seek the call, to rephrase or indeed ask any further or relevant supplementary question. The member for Kaurna has the call.

Mr PICTON: Yes, I'm happy to help the Premier out if he didn't quite hear it the first time. Why is there no additional funding for the current Women's and Children's Hospital, either recurrent or capital, in this budget in spite of the emergency department being under extraordinary pressure?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: When we came to government the operational budget for the Women's and Children's Hospital, as I am informed, was $254 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Elizabeth!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —per year and the current budget is $311 million. Again, the last time I looked, 311 was a larger number than 254, so it's quite clear that we have very significantly increased the budget for the Women's and Children's Hospital, but the member for Kaurna is quite right: it is under enormous pressure at the moment. I was speaking to some doctors from the Women's and Children's Hospital last night. In fact, they were expressing their great delight that we were going to have a Women's and Children's Hospital co-located with the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, that we had been listening to clinicians and that we are making ongoing investment in the overall health system here in South Australia. That was the feedback I received last night, which I was very pleased to receive.

They are also very pleased, and I think the people of South Australia are very pleased, that we are having a series of upgrades to the existing facilities that will extend the life and make sure that we keep the great services there at the highest level right through until when the new Women's and Children's Hospital is delivered. I have seen lots of misinformation put out there by individuals recently regarding the size of the new facility.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What I can say is that we currently have 441 treatment places in the Women's and Children's Hospital. That includes beds, it includes operating theatres, it includes a lot of facilities within the Women's and Children's site. What we know going forward is that we will take that up to 500. We will also very significantly increase the number of outpatient places at the new Women's and Children's Hospital. Currently, it is sitting at about 130 or 140 places, and in the new Women's and Children's Hospital that will go up to 170.

I am happy to put that alongside the collapse of treatment spaces and outpatient services from the old Royal Adelaide Hospital to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital because of course that has been one of the contributing factors in putting South Australia's health system under enormous pressure in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Labor were in for 16 years and they had plenty of time to implement all their fantastic plans with regard to health. It was called Transforming Health; now none of them even want to have this—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —phrase uttered. It's like kryptonite to those opposite. We have lovely shots of them standing there with their brochures in the past, but none of them want to be reminded of some of those photographs going forward.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens is warned for a second time. Before I call the member for Kaurna, I warn the member for Chaffey, I call to order the member for Elizabeth, I warn the member for Lee for a second time and I call to order the Premier.

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