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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-13 Daily Xml
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Women's and Children's Hospital

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:21): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Does the government have a plan to sustain the current Women's and Children's Hospital site beyond the next decade? With your leave, sir, and that of house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: The former Liberal government invested $80 million into the current Women's and Children's Hospital site, based on the new hospital being built much sooner than 2032. The government today announced $27 million for sustainment works, of which $20.1 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is called to order.

Mrs HURN: —addresses the paediatric ICU accreditation issues—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Elder!

Mrs HURN: —leaving just $6.9 million for broader sustainment works at the current Women's and Children's Hospital.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert, you may wish to repeat your explanation. It was not audible.

Mrs HURN: Yes, I think so. There was a bit of a ruckus, sir. The former Liberal government invested $80 million into the current Women's and Children's Hospital site, based on the fact that the new Women's and Children's Hospital would be delivered much earlier than 2032. The government today announced $27 million for sustainment works, of which $20.1 million is to address the paediatric ICU accreditation issues, leaving just $6.9 million for broader sustainment works at the current Women's and Children's Hospital.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:23): The member references $80 million of other spending at the hospital. Clearly, that actually goes back—it was started under the Weatherill government originally, continued under the Marshall government, and has been continuing under us as well.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta! Member for Chaffey!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: So when you add that together with the money that has been announced today, that's obviously more than $100 million being invested in that hospital. But ultimately we do need the new hospital to address all of the issues at that site, and that is why we are committed to doing so and will be doing that as quickly as we can. But we're not going to do it in a way that means that we end up with a hospital that is too small on the day it opens, but the other critical factor is—and I don't think this has had enough attention—that the other plan to build that hospital on the constrained site next to the Royal Adelaide Hospital stopped the future expansion of the Royal Adelaide Hospital into the future, and we know at some stage that hospital will have to expand as well. So it was not a good outcome for the long term.

So, obviously we are continuing the investment in terms of sustainment works at the hospital. We have announced that today. It builds on the announcements of the previous government, and also the government before that, in terms of sustainment works at the women's and kids' hospital. But we are cracking on in terms of delivery of the new Women's and Children's Hospital—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: Sixteen years and no new hospital. No new children's hospital in 16 years.

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —to make sure that we get that facility—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —that is going to survive for decades and decades and decades to come as a high-quality service—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Badcoe! The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —for the women and children of South Australia.

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