[VIS] Royal Adelaide Hospital Rebuild

[Brando]

^^^Good find mate, i signed up and will try my best to get there on Sunday.

[ozisnowman]

What they need to do at this rally also is not just persway the government to rebuild the RAH at the current site
but to defer the building of the new federally funded research centre until this issue is sorted out. It would be
an utter shamble if the research centre was built at the railways site and then the RAH was rebuilt at the current
site. We need to step back and look at the issues.

Firstly the Government needs to stop being pig headed about its decisions and needs to do some costings in
regards the contamination clean and the potential problems with flight paths/helicopters with the railway
yards site before it does anything...

[Strangled Cat]

So, did anyone go to this rally??

[Hindley Street Alley]

I don't mind if the hospital is built on the new site, but it would be a pity if it was the only thing taking up the whole site... being such a prime area and all.

For example I wouldn't mind a hospital there if there was also an area of restaurants/cafes/shops/ and what a great spot for some prime apartment buildings. There could also be a plaza style area or park where markets could be held too.

Just what im thinking at the moment...

[peachy]

So, did anyone go to this rally??

Yeah i did, and i was a little disappointed in someways. It turned into a bit of a liberal rally, with most of the speakers being liberal members and they acknowledged the other liberal mp's in the audience. The MC came off as a bit obnoxious bringing up old labor failings like Monarto and at the same time dising past labor premiers like Dunston, who i think is generally regarded by the public as doing more good for the state than harm, so no need to dig up old wounds. Any member of the public would think, "well i disagree with your dunston comment so maybe i should disagree with your whole cause," which then hurts the cause. As such the whole thing got a bit off topic but the medicos who spoke tried to steer it back and give proper logical reasons of why to save the RAH. They talked about collocation, value for money which can then be reinvested in the rest of the states hospitals etc, and how the gov has treated the rah recently, abolishing its board and forcing all workers to sign agreements to be employed by the state instead of being employed by the hospital. This last one in why it is hard for many medicos to speak on the issue in public for fear of their employer the gov. In the audience i could hear a lib diehard supporter spewing all sorts of mish mashed arguments to whoever was polite enough to listen and gave me the impression that he didnt understand the actually logical reasons to keep rah which again actually hurts the cause rather than helps it. Also interestingly there were some bikies in the audience, im guessing again for political reasons but i shouldnt jump to conclusions.

I was hoping it would be a much more cross party gathering addressing one policy instead of just a general Rann bashing. I was expecting a greens member and senator xenophon to actually speak rather than have letters of support just read out.

That said also there were: medicos, old people who have time to volunteer and cook a bbq, families with kids and young people who im again guessing were all there because they are interested in the cause rather than political parties. As for the lady in a wheel chair who spoke out in favour of river rah, she was given a fair go. They gave her the mike, she spoke her piece, got booed by some (not unexpected at a pro rah rally, you would get the same saying 'go crows' at a port power rally) and then the mike was taken away so people would stop booing her. I found her argument confusing as her experience was that she had fallen through the cracks of the medical system and thought a riverside hospital would change that. it sounded like her issue would be more with the bureaucracy which wont change with a river rah. If anything it sounded like she should be angry with the gov as their policies that have shaped the bureaucracy has failed her over the last two terms and instead of fixing it they are just doing building bricks and mortar.

Her other point was that she said that her friends in the med school wanted the river rah and collocation in not an issue as they can walk. I disagree with her statement here also as from my experience, i had a lecture course last year given by someone who works at the rah. I cant see her spending 15-20 minutes walking (or waiting for a bus) up north tce to give a 1 hour lecture than spend 15 mins again going back to riverside precinct to continue with her work a few days a week. She and other hospital links will just eventually say sorry we would love to teach but it is too hard and inconvenient and time consuming. And links with actual industry folk whilst at uni is vital in getting jobs, organising summer volunteer work and research projects, which benefit both students and the hospital.

So that is how i saw it from the street level. My opinion on the rah has not changed for better or for worst and as for the libs i just hope they sort themselves out thus providing a competent opposition in time to be a true alternative gov giving the people a genuine choice.

[tc@steel]

Just read the article on Adelaide Now about Mike Ranns visit to the new state of the art Birmingham Hospital, looked it up on Google aand found some pics.Now I understand this isnt THE design however I can imagine this sitting on the old railyards site looking very impressive.

Just my opinion. Here is the link http://www.uhb.nhs.uk/NewHospital/gallery.html

[Shuz]

You think impressive, I think good lord, that's hideous.

[ozisnowman]

That would look great over the railyards but that building is too radical for our bunch of NIMBY's,
we seem to get architecturally shafted with boring looking square box designs.
Didn't anyone teach them to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX???

[tc@steel]

As I said Shuz, just my opinion, would be a sad world if we all shared the same tastes.

With some clever landscaping I think it soften the look somewhat and the curves would tie in well with the Convention Centre. No doubt over the next few months there will be numerous opinions on the design and typically none will have any bearing on what is finally signed off on.

[Shuz]

Interesting you seem to believe that something will happen in the next few months regarding the hospital. The issue has been dormant as for quite some time now, strangely considering that every month the debate flares up again "Hospital versus Stadium", yada yada yada - it's been at least 3 months now since. Would not be surprised that the Government is quietly pushing this one back onto the bookshelf and will campaign intensively on the action they are taking - i.e. rail electrification, desalination plant, tram extension. Labor's been given a rare political lifeline where they can afford to backflip without losing many votes, simply because the opposition, or lack thereof, stands absolutely no chance of winning the next election.

And plus, it's all economics and budgeting - Foley had to be bullshitting himself if he seriously believed he could bring SA back into the black in two years with the hospital to be built. They haven't the money to do so. Not with the prohibitive costs of other projects they've undertaken (which are the most expensive ever in SA's history) $600m NEXY, $1.1b desalination plant, $2b rail network upgrade. Where does $1.7b on a hospital come from then? This isn't even factoring in other agendas they wish to take up on - notably the $2.2b Northern Connector.

[tc@steel]

Good point Shuz, I dont dissagree with you at all. I do quite a bit of work in a business development role looking into major projects for the company I work for and the other project approved is the Northern End of the North South Corridor Grand Plan, i.e Port River Expressway to Grand Junction And Regency Road.$750m.The incumbent govt has all and sundry by the "you know whats", it can balance vote catching and infrastrucure development to suit itself not what suits the peolple of this state.

[tc@steel]

Shuz , sorry but forgot to mention that one of the reasons I think we may be talking about the designs for the new RAH was based on the fact that someone "missplaced" a USB, with designs for the RAH on it and Planning S.A may have to release the drwaings to all so there can be no claims of colabrative trading between developers and builders.

[Port Adelaide Fan]

Council asked to hand over parklands

ADELAIDE City Council has been asked to hand over parklands for use in the new Royal Adelaide Hospital development.

The narrow 1.2 hectare strip extends along North Tce and Port Rd and fronts the site of the proposed new hospital on the railyards.

A report prepared for tonight's ACC Adelaide Park Lands Authority meeting recommends the land be leased to the State Government on the condition it is retained as open space.

In a letter to ACC CEO Peter Smith, SA Health claims the land is currently being wasted.

"The land parcel is considered to be underutilised land and does not represent usable public space - consistent with its parkland status," the unsigned document reads.

"The land will remain public open space and and could reflect the approach taken to similar spaces along North Tce."

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/stor ... 01,00.html

[Norman]

Interesting you seem to believe that something will happen in the next few months regarding the hospital. The issue has been dormant as for quite some time now, strangely considering that every month the debate flares up again "Hospital versus Stadium", yada yada yada - it's been at least 3 months now since. Would not be surprised that the Government is quietly pushing this one back onto the bookshelf and will campaign intensively on the action they are taking - i.e. rail electrification, desalination plant, tram extension. Labor's been given a rare political lifeline where they can afford to backflip without losing many votes, simply because the opposition, or lack thereof, stands absolutely no chance of winning the next election.

And plus, it's all economics and budgeting - Foley had to be bullshitting himself if he seriously believed he could bring SA back into the black in two years with the hospital to be built. They haven't the money to do so. Not with the prohibitive costs of other projects they've undertaken (which are the most expensive ever in SA's history) $600m NEXY, $1.1b desalination plant, $2b rail network upgrade. Where does $1.7b on a hospital come from then? This isn't even factoring in other agendas they wish to take up on - notably the $2.2b Northern Connector.

When you're in a PPP, you don't pay for the lot upfront, you pay it off over several years. And the Northhern Connector hasn't been decided on yet, and even it it is approved, it won't start until 2016. NEXY is almost wholly paid for by the Feds. Desal plant they are paying for themselves though. Some of the rail upgrade is being paid for as well by the feds.

[Professor]

the state government has invested so much of its health sector and political credibility into advocating the new hospital that there will be no turning back. The new hospital and the proposed research centre will be very good in the new location. Greenfield sites are always the best to develop.

I have visited the RAH (in unfortunate circumstances to see friend's last days) and have to say that it is a pretty awful envirnment inside. The medical staff are great but the actual building is old, tired and looks like a set from The Bill.

Bring on the new hospital is my thought. It is a rail yard at the moment!