❓ Opposition questions the Health Minister about alleged prior knowledge of Fiona Stanley Hospital delays. Minister denies prior knowledge, blames the former director general's assessment, and defends the project's overall quality despite the delay.
AnsweredQoN 566Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIONA STANLEY HOSPITAL — COMMISSIONING
DELAY
566. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the fact that the former director general of
Health, Kim Snowball, was advised in July last year by a panel of experts of
the likelihood that the Fiona Stanley Hospital project would be delayed and the
advice from his hand-picked troubleshooter in mid-December 2012 that the Fiona Stanley
Hospital project would definitely be delayed.
(1) Is it not
beyond believability that Mr Snowball did not advise the minister of these
facts in the three months before his departure?
(2) Will the
minister now come clean that he was advised prior to the state election about
delays that would beset Fiona Stanley Hospital; and, if not, will the minister
table all minutes of meetings and written advice between December 2012 and
March 2013 to clarify the advice that he received?
DELAY
566. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the fact that the former director general of
Health, Kim Snowball, was advised in July last year by a panel of experts of
the likelihood that the Fiona Stanley Hospital project would be delayed and the
advice from his hand-picked troubleshooter in mid-December 2012 that the Fiona Stanley
Hospital project would definitely be delayed.
(1) Is it not
beyond believability that Mr Snowball did not advise the minister of these
facts in the three months before his departure?
(2) Will the
minister now come clean that he was advised prior to the state election about
delays that would beset Fiona Stanley Hospital; and, if not, will the minister
table all minutes of meetings and written advice between December 2012 and
March 2013 to clarify the advice that he received?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I wish I had a copy of that question because I could then pull it to pieces bit
by bit as I went through. The statements in the first question, although I do
not recall them all, are not correct, particularly the one that says the
director general was advised that the hospital would ''definitely''
be delayed. He was not advised that it would definitely be delayed. He was
advised that, in the opinion of the person that he put in charge of that
project, there was a strong probability that it would be delayed. There is a
big difference. I say again that everything that I have said is correct. I have
changed nothing about what I put—no, it is not beyond belief, because
that is the truth. That is exactly what happened. As I have said to the member,
and as has been said publicly before, I had a conversation with the former
director general after the election and he still held that belief. He still
held that belief that it did not need to be delayed.
Mr R.H. Cook : Contrary to every bit of
intelligence out there!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
was still more than a year out —
Point of Order
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
apologise to my colleague, but I heard words emanate from the mouth of the
member for Bassendean, who does not seem to be in his correct place.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean, if you want to speak, please go back to
your seat.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr
K.D. HAMES : He will not go back to his seat, Mr Speaker, because he is
there for the cameras! He wants to be seen backing up his leaders. They do not
want an empty seat behind them.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you for that, member for Willagee. I call to order for the
first time the members for Carine and Willagee.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Mr Speaker, I am not sure who he was referring to as the oil
painting! Whoever resembles that remark, put your hand up!
Ms
J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member for Mirrabooka was up the back, but I think she moved back so she could
get a word in!
Ms J.M. Freeman :
There is no way that you could not have known!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is all right; that is my fault, Mr Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Riverton, I call you to order for the first time. Can we please hear the answer
to this question.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
do not have a lot more to say, other than that is the truth. There was no
knowledge by me before then that the project would be delayed. I was reassured
by my director general that in his view it would still make it. It was still more
than a year out. It was a year and a half out from the date it was due to open.
Although there was a considerable amount of work to be done, it was his view
that we could catch up. Although we were behind—certainly the
Birmingham report indicated we were behind—putting Dr Russell-Weisz in
that position meant that he and others would have the capacity to bring it back
on time so that we could still open. As it turned out, there was a six-month
delay. This is a $2 billion hospital with the latest technology. We are
building a state-of-the-art hospital in Western Australia—better than
any other hospital in Western Australia and better than many other hospitals
throughout the world. It is an enormous task. Everyone is working extremely
hard to make sure that all that work is being done. We are very proud of that
hospital. It is unfortunate that it has been delayed. It is a massive project
that is being built over a long period. Occasionally things do not go as we
would prefer them to. In terms of all that information in the meetings, my
understanding —
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the second time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : My
understanding is there has been a freedom of information request for all those
meeting times, or a parliamentary question; I am not sure. My understanding is
that that information is already available.
I wish I had a copy of that question because I could then pull it to pieces bit
by bit as I went through. The statements in the first question, although I do
not recall them all, are not correct, particularly the one that says the
director general was advised that the hospital would ''definitely''
be delayed. He was not advised that it would definitely be delayed. He was
advised that, in the opinion of the person that he put in charge of that
project, there was a strong probability that it would be delayed. There is a
big difference. I say again that everything that I have said is correct. I have
changed nothing about what I put—no, it is not beyond belief, because
that is the truth. That is exactly what happened. As I have said to the member,
and as has been said publicly before, I had a conversation with the former
director general after the election and he still held that belief. He still
held that belief that it did not need to be delayed.
Mr R.H. Cook : Contrary to every bit of
intelligence out there!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
was still more than a year out —
Point of Order
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I
apologise to my colleague, but I heard words emanate from the mouth of the
member for Bassendean, who does not seem to be in his correct place.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean, if you want to speak, please go back to
your seat.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr
K.D. HAMES : He will not go back to his seat, Mr Speaker, because he is
there for the cameras! He wants to be seen backing up his leaders. They do not
want an empty seat behind them.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you for that, member for Willagee. I call to order for the
first time the members for Carine and Willagee.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Mr Speaker, I am not sure who he was referring to as the oil
painting! Whoever resembles that remark, put your hand up!
Ms
J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : The
member for Mirrabooka was up the back, but I think she moved back so she could
get a word in!
Ms J.M. Freeman :
There is no way that you could not have known!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : It
is all right; that is my fault, Mr Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Riverton, I call you to order for the first time. Can we please hear the answer
to this question.
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
do not have a lot more to say, other than that is the truth. There was no
knowledge by me before then that the project would be delayed. I was reassured
by my director general that in his view it would still make it. It was still more
than a year out. It was a year and a half out from the date it was due to open.
Although there was a considerable amount of work to be done, it was his view
that we could catch up. Although we were behind—certainly the
Birmingham report indicated we were behind—putting Dr Russell-Weisz in
that position meant that he and others would have the capacity to bring it back
on time so that we could still open. As it turned out, there was a six-month
delay. This is a $2 billion hospital with the latest technology. We are
building a state-of-the-art hospital in Western Australia—better than
any other hospital in Western Australia and better than many other hospitals
throughout the world. It is an enormous task. Everyone is working extremely
hard to make sure that all that work is being done. We are very proud of that
hospital. It is unfortunate that it has been delayed. It is a massive project
that is being built over a long period. Occasionally things do not go as we
would prefer them to. In terms of all that information in the meetings, my
understanding —
Ms J.M. Freeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mirrabooka, I call you to order for the second time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : My
understanding is there has been a freedom of information request for all those
meeting times, or a parliamentary question; I am not sure. My understanding is
that that information is already available.
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