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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-16 Daily Xml
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Question Time

SA Health Focus Week

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:28): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Attorney-General in his capacity as Leader of the Government in this place regarding the government's election promises.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Announced in the media two weeks ago, it was stated that the purpose of Focus Week is—and I quote SA Health CEO, Dr Robyn Lawrence—'to make sure our patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time, 100 per cent of the time'. Yesterday was day one of Focus Week and yet last night all metropolitan hospitals were in a Code White, meaning the entire health system was over capacity. My two questions to the Leader of the Government in this place are:

1. Is Focus Week achieving its aims?

2. How will this fulfil his government's election promise to 'fix ramping in South Australia'?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:29): I thank the honourable member for her questions and I will refer them to the health minister in another place, who is doing an extraordinarily good job.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I've got to say—

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the honourable Leader of the Opposition!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I've got to say that we see a marked difference between this opposition and the Liberal opposition we saw when Labor was last in government. Ministers would often sit here wondering what sorts of questions the heavyweights, like the Hon. David Ridgway, would stump us with and throw at us. What we see from this opposition one year in, one single year into opposition, is that they have run out of questions and they copy what they ask in the lower house. They are a carbon copy of the questions in the lower house to the health minister, the one responsible. They've got nothing to say, nothing new to add and, after one short year in opposition, they are just copying questions that were asked 15 minutes ago in the lower house, without any thought to their own questions.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: If it goes like the last time they were in opposition, it is going to be a long 16 years.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I am concerned about you, the Hon. Mr Wortley, for many reasons. The Leader of the Opposition, your second question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Girolamo!

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Attorney!

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti: How about you fix ramping?

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable Leader of the Opposition, ask your second question, please.

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