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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-25 Daily Xml
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ROYAL ADELAIDE HOSPITAL

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:38): I rise today to discuss a matter of interest to all South Australians: the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. I raise this matter today because of recent Advertiser reports about the opposition's plan with regard to this much needed facility. Brace yourself: they do not have just one plan but they actually have three. Obviously, you develop one plan and, when that does not fit, you get another plan and, when that does not fit, you try to conjure up another plan. You then manipulate an artist's impression, squash a 12-storey building into four floors, and deny the people of South Australia public consultation on the issue until after the election. These are the opposition's plans for the future health needs of our state.

As members would be aware, my colleague in another place, the Minister for Health, has said that here we have three sets of half-baked ideas. Sadly, this sort of wishy-washy, populist thinking amongst the ranks of the opposition and their fellow travellers are all too frequent. What is the result? It is uncertainty: uncertainty for all those involved in the planning and development process; uncertainty for the medical and allied health professionals and those who support them in their vital work; uncertainty for the community; and definitely uncertainty for every voter in next year's election.

Unlike Labor's plan, which is out in the open and which has been comprehensively discussed around the state, the Liberals are expecting voters to cast their ballot without any concrete idea of what to expect from the opposition for future health care in South Australia. What if, heaven forbid, they were to sneak home in the next election? The consequences would be a choice between multi-storey buildings on the northern, southern and eastern parts of the present site or an L-shaped multi-storey building on the northern part of the site or building directly in front of the current emergency department, which would restrict access, jeopardise patients and cause traffic chaos.

The interesting and most disgraceful thing about this whole plan is that they try to con and mislead the public by putting out an artist's impression showing a 12-storey building compressed into the size of a four-storey building next-door. The explanation for this, given by Ms Vickie Chapman in another place, is that it is a contemporary building and has a much lower floor-to-ceiling height. I can only come up with two reasons for the explanation: one is that it looks like you are designing future facilities for the health of hobbits; or you are deliberately misleading the people of this state.

The ACTING PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable member should direct his comments through the chair.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Thank you, Mr Acting President. There are clear differences between the plans that Labor has for our future health needs and the plans of the opposition. The opposition will deliver this state second-rate health facilities at a very cheap price. On the other hand, this government is prepared to look at a facility which will provide the latest state-of-the-art technologies for the next 100 years for the people of South Australia. Adelaide's population and demographic projections demonstrate the need for a state-of-the-art facility to provide 21st century medical care for all South Australians, and Labor has the plans on the table.

I will draw a few comparisons between those plans and the amorphous L-shaped and other buildings proposed by the Liberals. This government's new hospital will contain single bed patient rooms, not six-bed bays with shared conveniences which those opposite contemplate, with the exposure of patients to the risk of cross-infection. Labor's new hospital will not be built on the foundations of an ageing infrastructure with the associated issues of outdated sewerage, heating and cooling, water supply and related systems. Rather, our new hospital will minimise power and water use, embracing environmentally sustainable practices and minimising our carbon footprint.

Time expired.

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