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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-06 Daily Xml
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SA Health

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding SA Health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: I have just received a copy of a SALHN CEO update, which reads, and I quote:

The Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Governing Board Chair has advised me today of the resignation of Chief Executive Officer, Professor Sue O'Neill.

Sue has made the decision to embark on a new phase of her career, giving more dedicated focus to her lifelong work in improving health care systems and her involvement in academic research.

Over the last three and a half years Sue has successfully led and overseen a number of reforms within SALHN and across the SA Health system.

Among many achievements, Sue delivered a comprehensive integrated management system, which has delivered better outcomes for patients and guided SALHN into a positive budgetary position.

Sue has been dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the community in Southern Adelaide and beyond and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her service.

Sue's last day with SALHN will be 30 June 2021.

My questions to the minister are:

1. When did Professor O'Neill resign and have you been made aware of her resignation?

2. To your knowledge, has it anything to do with the questions that have been asked in this place regarding fractured relationships with Dr McGowan and comments allegedly made by him, which he has denied?

3. If not, and noting the inaccuracy of information that has previously been provided for the reasons for the departure of SA Health staff, what do you understand those reasons to be?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for her question. I understand that the honourable member was reading from an update from the chief executive of—

The Hon. C. Bonaros: The SALHN CEO update.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Yes, and it was the chief executive of the department.

The Hon. C. Bonaros: Yes.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I certainly was aware of the resignation of the chief executive officer. I would like to join the governing board chair in paying tribute to the exemplary service of Professor Sue O'Neill as SALHN chief executive officer. The board chair has issued an update, which I would like to quote from:

It's my unfortunate task to advise you that the Chief Executive Officer, Professor Sue O'Neill, has tendered her resignation to the South Australian Local Health Network Governing Board. Sue made the decision to embark on a new phase of her career, giving more dedicated focus to her lifelong work in improving healthcare systems and her involvement in academic research. This next step in her career will no doubt continue to positively serve South Australia, our citizens and our healthcare system.

Later in the same update it goes on to say:

At the time Sue took the reins of SALHN there was a pattern of too regular change and disruption. This was 3½ years ago after the closure of the Repat health reforms during a period of unstable leadership and the organisation was running at a budgetary deficit of over 10 per cent. How things have changed. Sue leaves behind a lasting legacy. She led organisation through national accreditation, introduced the integrated management system, SALHN's strategic direction map and has managed to steer SALHN into a favourable budgetary position. Importantly, Sue led SALHN during the COVID-19 pandemic as SALHN's commander-in-chief of the emergency response using the award-winning IMS, which connects the wards all the way to the Board.

The chair goes on to make other comments—very appropriate comments—about the service of Sue O'Neill. On behalf of the government, I thank Sue O'Neill for her service. The honourable member poses a question: could this resignation be linked to offence at the comments made by the chief executive? I am advised that Professor Sue O'Neill has provided the following statement about those alleged statements:

I strongly refute the claims that Dr Chris McGowan used inappropriate language at this meeting to describe me or my colleagues. I attended this meeting in person and can categorically say that it simply did not happen. As leaders of SA Health, we are committed to ensuring our high standards of displaying respectful behaviours are upheld at all times.

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