HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-03-20 Daily Xml
Contents
Xml

Royal Adelaide Hospital Infectious Diseases Unit

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:39): I seek leave to address a question to the Attorney-General, representing Minister for Health and Wellbeing, about the Royal Adelaide Hospital infectious diseases unit.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Lee, you are seeking leave to make a brief explanation?

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Yes, sorry, Mr President.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: On 20 March 2025, ABC News reported that the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) is planning to move the Royal Adelaide Hospital infectious diseases unit out of the RAH to a new location across the road on North Terrace. It was reported that, due to the insufficient space in the new RAH building, the state government subleases a space within the hospital, which had been rented to a private health consortium. In 2023, CALHN decided not to renew the sublease and instead started renting a space at 21 North Terrace, where it is now seeking to relocate the infectious diseases unit.

Clinicians and the doctors and nurses unions have argued that the move could result in compromised clinical care and patient safety and have taken the dispute to the SA Employment Tribunal in an attempt to stop the move. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. Why has the state government decided not to renew the sublease for the space within its own hospital?

2. Can the minister explain why CALHN initially told the infectious diseases unit that it would not be moving, only to reverse the decision in October 2024?

3. What is the government doing to address the concerns of the clinicians about security risks for patients if the infectious diseases unit is to move to a new location?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:41): I thank the honourable member for her questions; I will pass them on to the Minister for Health in another place and bring back a reply.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT