Hospital helipads will reopen soon, Premier Peter Malinauskas promises
A community cabinet meeting in Murray Bridge has touched on some hot-button issues in the Murraylands, including a long-running risk to local patients.
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One of the Murraylands’ hospital helipads will be restored to service within weeks, but another will take longer, Premier Peter Malinauskas has revealed at a public forum in Murray Bridge.
More than 200 people came to a Community Cabinet meeting at the Imperial Football Club last Thursday night to ask their questions of Mr Malinauskas and his team, or listen to what was said.
Business leaders, councillors and prominent public servants rubbed shoulders with curious locals, those with an axe to grind and a handful of state election candidates, including Liberal MP Adrian Pederick and independent Airlie Keen.
But perhaps the most pointed question on the night came from Murray Bridge hospital advisory committee member Di Dawson, who asked when the hospital’s helipad – and the one at Mannum – would reopen.
Both have been closed since 2024 due to a dispute between the government and air ambulance operator Babcock, risking patient safety and forcing paramedics to transfer patients by road instead.
The national regulations around helipads changed shortly before an upgrade was started, and as a result, Babcock refused to sign off on the work.
The Mannum helipad would reopen “in the next three weeks”, state Health Minister Chris Picton promised.
Murray Bridge’s would follow “not too long after that”.
More site works would have to be done – including modification of neighbouring properties and covering part of the Monash Terrace car park – to make sure nothing would be damaged by down-draft from the new air ambulances.
“Nobody is more frustrated about this than me,” Mr Picton said.
“We want to get this helipad open as soon as possible, and we are doing everything we can to get Babcock to sign off on that.”
Mr Malinauskas described it as “insane” that the government had made the helipads better, only to find that they were no longer up to industry benchmarks.
“We’ve funded a new helipad, the new helipad’s there and … all it’s done it unlock a bureaucratic nightmare,” he said.
“Nonetheless, the regulations are there to be complied with, and we are working to do that.”
Locals including Barry Wilson and Rosalie Nethercott line up to ask questions of Tom Koutsantonis and other state government representatives. Photos: Peri Strathearn.
What other issues came up on the night?
Locals asked the premier and his team about everything from help for small business to COVID-19 vaccines, a Monarto history memorial, speeding fines, preserving cash, respite for carers, riverbank slumping, government transparency, the need for a women’s shelter, emergency services, the arts and more.
Below are the answers the state government gave to a handful of the more interesting questions asked on the night – click on the drop-down boxes to have a look.
How will the state government pay for the election promises it has made to Murray Bridge?
The economy was going well, which meant the government was able to collect more tax, Mr Malinauskas said. The last few state budgets had produced a surplus, and South Australia had the second-best credit rating of any state. “The balance sheet is in a strong position, and that allows us to make these investments.” Locals could be sure that a future Labor government would deliver on its promises, he said, because it had done the same thing in Mount Gambier since 2022, even though the party’s candidate there lost to an independent.
What is the government doing to supply more public and social housing?
The state government had built 20 new Housing Trust properties in Murray Bridge since the last election, Mr Malinauskas said, fulfilling a campaign promise from 2022. In 29 of the 30 years before that, he said, both Liberal and Labor governments had sold off public housing, reducing the number of properties available to South Australians on low incomes. “I made a promise that we would stop that, and we have. Now we’ve started to build it up … (though) probably not at the run rate that you would like.”
When will River Murray levees officially reopen for recreational use?
Joggers, walkers and cyclists have been itching to get back onto the public levee banks along the river, officially closed since the 2022-23 floods. When would they reopen? Climate, Environment and Water Minister Lucy Hood said she had taken a first-hand look at the Long Flat levee last Thursday, and would ask her department whether some levees could be opened as soon as safety audits – due in the middle of this year – were completed. “I think we all acknowledge how important it is getting out in nature and going for a walk or ride.”
What is the government doing to provide more mental health services?
Services were available through Country Health Connect, at the back of the Murray Bridge hospital, Mr Picton said. That included a permanent psychiatrist who had been placed in the community for the first time. Locals might use an inpatient mental health unit at the new Mount Barker hospital when it was completed, too, he suggested. But the supply of psychologists coming out of university was not enough to meet the state’s needs. “We’re trying to increase the number of (university) placements.”
What’s happening with the planned Murray Bridge freight bypass?
A proposed freight bypass would duplicate the Swanport Bridge and reroute truck traffic out of Murray Bridge and through Monarto. Both the federal and state governments committed funding to the project last year, but between them, they have only put up 70 per cent of the cost. “We think the federal government should contribute more,” Mr Malinauskas said. “We’re sticking to our guns on this, and I’ve told the feds as much. They’re going to have to budge.” However, he hinted that SA had recently made a new offer, and hoped for progress. He urged all South Australians to bug their senators about the issue while negotiations dragged on.
Personable premier works the crowd
Whatever one thought of the premier, his party and their policies, most of the locals who spoke to Murray Bridge News afterwards came away impressed at his ability to work a room.
He cracked self-deprecating jokes, candidly acknowledged his government’s failures, clarified locals’ questions and gave level explanations where he could.
He praised Murray Bridge as a city that would play an increasingly important role in the future of South Australia.
If the rural city’s growth was handled right, he suggested, everyone would benefit.
That was why a Labor government would invest in Murray Bridge if it were re-elected, he said, going back over his promises from earlier in the day: an Adelaide Metro bus service, a technical college, hospital upgrades and more.
He also thanked everyone for choosing to come and participate when they could have stayed home to watch Married at First Sight.
“We are very, very lucky in this state … (to) live in a very healthy, robust democracy,” he said.
“Look at other parts of the world at the moment and you see it fraying at the edges, you see hyper-polarisation, you see apathy translating to anger and dissatisfaction.
“Tonight … everyone’s here together, and while there might be disagreement, there is civility and respect.
“That gives me hope.”
