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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-11-03 Daily Xml
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Hospital Car Parking

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (14:37): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on progress regarding hospital workers' parking in public hospitals?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:37): I would like to thank the member for Adelaide for her question because she cares about healthcare workers, I know, as do we on this side of the house.

Just to remind South Australians about what has happened until the announcement today, back in 2019, just prior to COVID, the then state government decided to break its 2018 election promise. At the 2018 election, there was a clear in-writing black-and-white commitment to reduce the cost of hospital car parking. Come 2019, they didn't reduce the cost of hospital car parking but actually dramatically escalated it. That started to take effect at the beginning of 2020, I understand, and then of course COVID hit.

What we saw then from the South Australian then opposition, the Labor Party, was that we advocated for free hospital car parking for hospital workers. I would like to credit the former government for hearing our call and providing free car parking for hospital workers. That arrangement was set to conclude at the end of the emergency management declaration, something we were able to deliver in government, the end of the emergency management declaration, and then health workers were faced with the prospect of actually paying for your broken promise. Since then, what we have sought to do is resolve the issue. I am very pleased to report—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —to the parliament today that this government is now delivering the lowest hospital car parking fees for our health workers since 2011. We have wound back the clock on hospital car parking fees. They are now paying $2.50 a day.

Mrs Hurn interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is on three warnings.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: But, more than that, in recognition of the extraordinary work and service of our healthcare workers, which wasn't just throughout the course of the pandemic but continues today, we are not just giving them the cheapest car parks available since 2011 but we are also providing them with free public transport when they are not able to receive a car parking permit—so either cheap car parking or free public transport. That is a very, very substantial demonstration of our appreciation of the work of healthcare workers.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The member for Chaffey interjects. Presumably they might oppose this policy as well. Maybe fast-forward to the 2026 election. The people of South Australia would be right to ask themselves: what are we going to get?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order from the member for Morialta.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is called to order. I will hear your colleague's point of order.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: this is debate.

The SPEAKER: I have in mind the Premier's answer so far, and I remind him of the provision of standing order 98, which does constrain debate, and an answer must relate to the substance of the question.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: To stick to the strict tenet of the question, there is a compare and contrast here to make, in that the former government's policy was to allow boom gates to be installed at Westfield, slug customers, slug workers and hurt tenants.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens is called to order. Member for Flinders!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: debate, sir.

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order, and I understand that the Premier was seeking to adduce a degree of context. There is one minute remaining in the answer, and I remind the Premier of the standing order.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: March 2026, we know what the Liberal Party's position is: let boom gates be installed. The Labor Party is not going to allow that to occur. When it comes to healthcare workers, who have been servicing our community so diligently, they support higher car parking fees.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

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

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: You support higher car parking fees. How do we know that? Because you introduced it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Because you introduced it, and what has this government done? We have fixed it. We have rectified it.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We have dramatically reduced your car parking fees down to $2.50 a day and then, more than that—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned for a third time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —we are providing free public transport for healthcare workers who can't get access to one of the 17,000 permits that we are providing for record cheap parking. So the compare and contrast isn't just material now—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is on two warnings.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —it will certainly be material in 2026, when people know the points of difference between this side of the house, where we care for working people, and on the other side of the house, where you care for Westfield.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! If the member for Morialta and the member for Schubert continue to interject, there will be additional action that will be necessary to be taken.

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