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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-26 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

Public Works Committee: Mount Barker District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (11:16): I move:

That the 140th report of the committee, entitled New Mount Barker Hospital Multi-Deck Car Park and Early Structural Works for Clinical Services Building Project, be noted.

The Mount Barker District Soldiers' Memorial Hospital is operated by the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network. It is currently a 34-bed facility providing 24-hour accident and emergency services, inpatient and day patient surgical and medical services, obstetrics and gynaecology, chemotherapy, renal dialysis, palliative care, allied health and community-based services.

The hospital is seeing an increasing health service demand in its catchment area, driven by the rapidly growing population in Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills. To meet this demand, the facility will require additional beds, and the South Australian government has committed $320.8 million for the new Mount Barker hospital development on the existing site which plans to triple the hospital's inpatient capacity from 34 to 102 beds. The development will also expand specialist beds, providing new outpatient and community health facilities, establishing an onsite pharmacy and establishing a new mental health unit.

A previously approved enabling and early works package for the hospital development has already commenced, and SA Health—referred to as 'the department' herein—states that the proposed works for a new multideck car park and early structural works for a clinical services building will significantly progress milestone one of the hospital development. Works for the car park include:

a three-level deck structure of approximately 11,500 square metres that will accommodate 370 car parks;

a relocated access driveway from Wellington Road, providing shared public access with the adjoining at-grade parking areas being constructed within the previously approved early works package;

modification to the access road and site entry at the west end of the site from Wellington Road; and

substantial associated external civil and landscaping works.

Works for the clinical services building will include:

early structural works for a new purpose-built facility which, when completed, would include five levels across approximately 16,500 square metres;

structural works for level 1, which will comprise the main entrance and mental health inpatient unit; and

structural works for level 2, which will accommodate the perioperative theatres and women's and children's inpatient unit.

The project is expected to cost $60.6 million, drawn from the overall new Mount Barker hospital development project budget of $320.8 million.

Construction of the car park is anticipated to commence this June, to be complete mid next year, and the early structural works are expected to commence this July, to be complete this September. The delivery of the project will follow best practice principles for project procurement and management, as advocated by the state government and construction industry authorities. This includes:

development of formal communication channels;

preparation and management of a project program;

establishment of a cost plan and management of project costs;

scheduling regular reviews of design, documentation and construction;

appointment of professional service contractors;

identifying risks and implementing mitigation strategies in compliance with the relevant planning, development and infrastructure legislation.

The professional services contractor team and managing contractor have been finalised and secondary professional service contractors may be engaged as required. In order to qualify for invitation to tender, both the professional services contractors and managing contractor are to maintain current Department for Infrastructure and Transport prequalification levels for the design and delivery of state government infrastructure projects.

To manage the project throughout planning and implementation, as well as to manage any risks and issues arising, a two-tier governance structure has been established, including an executive steering committee responsible for strategic oversight and an integrated management team responsible for day-to-day operational management.

Risks identified include:

the proximity of construction works to an operational clinical environment, for which the project team is in ongoing communication with site management and patients attending the hospital;

the requirement for serviced cutovers to ensure continued operation of the existing hospital, for which the project team is planning service to version where required;

the need for temporary facilities to ensure continued operation of the hospital; and

the required traffic management and contractor vehicle usage at Wellington Road.

The managing contractor will develop a series of critical works plans to accommodate the necessary engineering service cutovers.

The project team has established formal processes to ensure that sustainability considerations are incorporated into the project during all phases of the project life cycle and a dedicated work group is tasked with ensuring that environmental and sustainable initiatives are fully integrated into all work undertaken. This includes:

optimisation of the building layout for natural ventilation;

implementation of effective management and operational protocols that reduce the impact of the building on the environment;

energy efficiency initiatives, including LED lighting and provision for future installation of solar panels; and

a selection of ethically sourced, recycled and durable materials where possible.

The department is in ongoing consultation with various stakeholder groups and is working closely with key facilities management personnel from the local health network to ensure safe operations continue throughout the duration of the project. The local health network's governing board has also been engaged throughout each stage of the clinical aspects of the project and will manage required communications around site planning and logistics to ensure hospital end users receive appropriate information concerning the development.

Broader consultation on the hospital project is ongoing, including with clinicians, workforce, industrial bodies and the Mount Barker and Adelaide Hills communities. SA Health states a search of the central archive identified no Aboriginal heritage in the proposed work locations and there is no registration of state heritage in the vicinity of the site.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the Mount Barker hospital multi-deck car park and early structural works for clinical services building project. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were Melissa Nozza, Director, Capital Project Infrastructure, Department for Health and Wellbeing; Bronwyn Masters, Chief Executive Officer, Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network; Layton Waters, Manager Major Projects, Building Projects, Department for Infrastructure and Transport; Matthew Raven, Director, Lead Professional Services Contractor, Swanbury Penglase Architects; and Dave Forster, Director General, Health Infrastructure, Government of South Australia. I thank the witnesses for their time. I would also like to thank the member for Kavel for his written statement of support for this project in his electorate.

Based upon the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public work.

Motion carried.

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