Trish Worth on RAH Redevelopment
in
As the former Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Member for Adelaide, I strongly support the redevelopment of the Royal Adelaide Hospital in its current location.
There is a very good reason why the RAH is located where it is. It’s proximity to the University of Adelaide, its medical school and related resources are of immense importance both in terms of attracting and retaining students, and in terms of valuable research.
Health dollars are scarce. I have no doubt we need to improve our hospital facilities, but spending at least an extra $1,000,000,000 on a grandiose building is not the solution.
The Premier must surely acknowledge that some of South Australia’s leading physicians and clinicians are now standing side by side with our business leaders and our planning and development experts, including now the head of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (SA Division), Terry Walsh, imploring the State Government to recognise the overwhelming case to keep the RAH where it is.
It also appears to me that the required remediation of the proposed rail yards site was an inconvenient afterthought. This Government clearly has a short memory. Through my role in securing the clean-up of the former Australian National rail yards at Islington, I recall that it was a very costly and complex process. Even then there may be no guarantees that the land will be safe for future development due to past contamination.
Health has always been too important to be driven by party politics. I’m dismayed that the Government has started with a concept and then tried to make the requirements for the RAH fit into their concept.
This shouldn’t be about building monuments - it should be about building the best health system for South Australia.
Background: Since leaving Federal Parliament in 2004, I have continued to be involved in health-related roles and have worked with the current Federal Government and the NSW Government.
For further comment, please contact Trish Worth on 0417 812 175.