“You cannot have a strong health system or a strong education system or strong public transport unless you have a strong economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Labor continued its focus on health spending, announcing several upgrades to Modbury Hospital in the hotly contested north-eastern seat of Newland.
The promised upgrades include a $28 million cancer centre, $53.7 million to retain and expand the Woodleigh House mental health facility and $87 million to establish 48 extra permanent sub-acute beds.
“We only saw last night that SA Ambulance was at OPSTAT red, which means South Australians weren’t getting the ambulances they need when they need them,” Malinauskas said.
“We think that patients should be treated closer to home, so Labor will build a brand-new cancer centre here at Modbury Hospital that currently does not exist.
“Overall, in the north and north-eastern suburbs this is going to double cancer treatment, which is going to make it a lot easier for residents in north-eastern suburbs.”
Ex-Labor maverick turned independent candidate for Newland Frances Bedford, who has strongly campaigned for improvements to Modbury Hospital, welcomed her former party’s announcement but said she was pushing for the return of an obstetrics, birthing and gynaecology unit.
The former member for Florey quit Labor to become an independent in 2017 after losing her preselection to right-winger Jack Snelling – who subsequently announced his own retirement.
In October, Bedford announced a tilt at Newland, after a boundary change shifted manxjmtzywy of her constituents into the seat.
“This announcement sounds good, but the devils in the detail,” she told
“I’ll need to have a look at it and unpack what it is, but obviously any money is good – the sooner the better.
“We now need to wait to see what the Liberal Party is offering as well.”
Newland is a key battleground this election, with Bedford, ALP candidate and Tea Tree Gully councillor Olivia Savvas and incumbent Liberal MP Richard Harvey all likely to poll strongly.
Bedford said she met with Malinauskas last week, but the pair didn’t discuss Modbury Hospital.
Malinauskas said he worked with Bedford closely while she was still part of the Labor Party and still spoke to her “from time to time”.
“This is Labor’s plan – Frances is an independent – and if I’m honest the most powerful advocates, to me, in the development of this (Modbury Hospital) policy have been Rhiannon Pearce and Olivia Savvas, who are our local Labor candidates.”
As for Marshall, Bedford said: “he doesn’t speak to me at all unless he has to”.
But the Premier was happy to talk down his Labor counterpart today, after committing his Government to a $25 million slice of the $80 million the Opposition has pledged for a rebuild of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre in North Adelaide.
“This is a project which came to us from the Adelaide City Council… we think this is a great investment but I’ve got to say, using one of my mother’s old expressions, Peter Malinauskas was done like a dinner,” he said.
“He got completely outmanoeuvred by the Adelaide City Council… and I think it just demonstrates a lack of acumen when it comes to deals on behalf of SA taxpayers.”
Marshall was coy about whether he hit up visiting federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg for the final funding commitment to the project yesterday, saying: “This is an Adelaide City Council project… I’m not going to go into all the conversations I’ve had with Josh Frydenberg but I’ll leave their funding announcements up to them.”
