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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-20 Daily Xml
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Women's and Children's Hospital

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:43): A very simple one for the minister: can the minister reconfirm the cost of the new Women's and Children's Hospital?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:43): What I can assure the people of South Australia is this government has already put down $550 million in the forward estimates—$550 million. I know that the Minister for Human Services likes to deal with billions, so let me explain: that is half a billion dollars which has already been committed to this major project. I am so proud of this project because what it will mean is that young children—infants, young children and adolescents—will be able to get medical retrieval wherever they are in South Australia.

The Labor Party wanted to strand children, adolescent and infant services at the North Adelaide site for an indefinite period. That would have fundamentally undermined the care for our babies, infants, children and young people. This demonstrates, in my view, yet again—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —the commitment of this government to a statewide service. Let me remind honourable members that the Women's and Children's Hospital is a statewide service.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: People are not going to be dropped into the Women's and Children's Hospital. Some people come from the farthest parts of the state to get their care at the Women's and Children's Hospital. That takes MedSTAR, that takes aerial medical retrieval—for that, you need a helipad—and there was never going to be a helipad at North Adelaide. So you and your party were condemning the children of South Australia—the babies, infants, children and adolescents—to a substandard service for decades to come.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: A supplementary?

The PRESIDENT: No, we are going to move on, the Hon. Ms Bourke. The Hon. Mr Hood.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Thank you, Mr President.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hood, sit down. I am keen to get to the crossbench. We are going to listen in silence.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I know who will be getting skipped, the honourable Leader of the Opposition. The Hon. Mr Hood, please ask your question.

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