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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-07 Daily Xml
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Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question is to the Premier. Is the Premier aware of comments made by Dr David Pope, President of the South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association and, if so, what actions is he taking to address them? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: In a post on social media last year, Dr Pope stated that emergency department clinicians were being, and I quote, 'intimidated to offload ambulance patients when there are sicker and more urgent patients in the waiting room'.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:17): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. Yes, of course we are aware of the social media post that Dr Pope made last year. The Leader of the Opposition, I assume, would be aware that, following those posts, we commissioned an independent review within the state government. We appointed two people, Dr Bill Griggs and Professor McNeil, to undertake an extensive piece of work to assess those claims. Of course, that report has been released publicly. Their findings are well known.

The health minister and myself met with Dr Pope during the course of that piece of work, including immediately prior to the release of that report publicly. We enjoy a good working relationship with SASMOA. That's something that we seek to invest a lot of effort in. We appreciate SASMOA as a source of advocacy. They offer also a source of a range of good policy propositions that this government has taken up—in fact, not just taken up since we have been in government but they contributed wholeheartedly to the policy we took to the last election, including investing in a lot more doctors. That's a relationship that we value.

The government hasn't in any way sought to capitalise in a political way on the findings of that report. There was a set of allegations made; they were investigated appropriately. I don't think anyone, at least on the record, has had the courage to question the legitimacy and the record of the work—

Mrs Hurn: The person who made the allegations did.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert, order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —of Dr Bill Griggs, who conducted the work. Dr Bill Griggs is a former South Australian of the Year, an extraordinary human being.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Why would you disparage Bill Griggs?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We put a lot of weight—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —on the report that Dr Griggs found although, like I said, we don't seek to politicise it or capitalise on it. We are just doing our best to get on with the job and assess the evidence that is presented before us and then make any policy adjustments that may be necessary.

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