RSL to lead $125m transformation of Repatriation General Hospital site at Daw Park
THE RSL has been given approval for a $125 million redevelopment of the Repatriation General Hospital site — find out what they will do with it.
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THE RSL has been given approval for a $125 million redevelopment of the Repatriation General Hospital site which will offer health, housing and community services to veterans.
The State Government on Sunday announced the RSL as the winning bidder to redevelop the site after it closes the Repat hospital next year as part of its Transforming Health reforms.
Plans for the Daw Park site, to be known as RSL Repat Park, feature aged care accommodation, retirement living and affordable housing, including for homeless veterans.
There will also be privately operated health care services, including hydrotherapy, a cafe and child care centre.
The Repat Chapel, SPF Hall and Museum and Remembrance Garden will be retained and upgraded, and a new remembrance walk featuring 31 plaques detailing Australia’s military history is planned.
The hospice will be turned into a community centre for retirement living.
The redevelopment is expected to generate up to 600 jobs through construction and ongoing operations.
The site will be officially transferred to the RSL consortium late next year and the majority of construction is expected to take two to three years.
RSL state president Brigadier Tim Hanna said the site would become a veterans and community “centre of excellence” and commemorate more than 70 years of history at the Repat.
“As the peak organisation for veterans in South Australia, we are extremely proud to become the new caretakers of the iconic Repat site,” he said.
“We will invest $125 million redeveloping the site, so that we can provide a wide range of accommodation options, as well as privately provided health services and facilities for the whole community to enjoy.”
Mr Hanna said services including the hydrotherapy pool and radiology would continue at the site while others would move as per Transforming Health plans.
“The intent is that the bulk of those services will remain but will be run through the RSL consortium,” he said.
The retirement and aged care accommodation would be open for all applicants but “veterans will be looked upon favourably”.
Mr Hanna said it was difficult to estimate how many homeless veterans lived in SA.
A facility in North Adelaide provided housing for about 12 people but “we unfortunately probably expect to see that (demand) grow”.
The Government’s decision to close the Repat sparked a heated public backlash, including a 161-day continuous protest by veterans on the steps of Parliament House and a petition signed by 123,000 South Australians delivered to MPs.
Among the protesters was Vietnam veteran Augustinus Krikke, who told The Advertiser he had been given no warning of the announcement.
“Our campaign was to save the Repat in total — they haven’t done that,” Mr Krikke said.
“We need a clearer picture of what actually they’re going to retain on the site and what they’re going to get rid of.
“At this stage it's a one-stop-shop, it's a hospital complex, and that’s basically what we can’t afford to lose for the southern community.”
Mr Krikke said Repat supporters would gather again on the steps of Parliament on Monday morning, as they had been doing weekly, to show their ongoing opposition to the closure.
The expressions of interest process to determine the future use of the site closed on December 23.
At the time The Advertiserrevealed the RSL was among those to lodge a submission.
The initial registration of interest process prompted 30 applications, eight from the health sector, four from aged care organisations and eight from community and education providers.
There was also a registration from a consortium that would bring together organisations across these sectors.
Health Minister Jack Snelling said key consideration was given when evaluating the submissions to “the most certain and robust future of the site”.
“Throughout this process we have made it clear that our priority has been to maintain the Repatriation General Hospital site as a place where the public can continue to receive community-based services that benefit their everyday life,” Mr Snelling said.
He added that there was “still a lot of work to do” for government to move off the site before the handover late next year.
Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said he hoped to see more detailed plans soon but was concerned the community would still lose the majority of health services currently available at the Daw Park precinct.
“We’ve always said that the Repat should be renewed but that it should have been renewed as a general hospital on the site,” he said.
“What opportunities were there for a private hospital on that site?
“This has all the hallmarks of a fire sale to get rid of a political issue rather than a well-considered process to get the best value for the people of South Australia. It’s nowhere near an acceptable final proposal.”
Mr Wade added that $42 million had been invested in health facilities on the site over the past decade, much of which he believed did not feature in future plans.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith said the decision was a “win-win outcome” for veterans and the community.
“All those who said this would no longer be used for veterans ... (or) a health precinct were wrong,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“All those who said this would a hotel development, or a Bunnings or a Woolworths were wrong.
“Everything Government promised has been delivered.
“Not only does it provide a great range of state-of-the-art services and facilities, it also retains the site’s very special and historic links with South Australian veterans.”
Timeline
■JUNE 19, 2014:Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis delivers the state Budget, flagging that it may be necessary to close a hospital to deal with federal funding cuts.
■OCTOBER, 2014: State Government releases a discussion paper on Transforming Health proposals that attracts more than 5000 submissions.
■MARCH 17, 2015: Final Delivering Transforming Health document is released, confirming plans to close the Repat.
■SEPTEMBER 13, 2015: Save the Repat protesters and veterans end their 161-day protest on the steps of Parliament House.
■DECEMBER 24, 2015: Expressions-of-interest process to determine the future use of the Repat site closes. The Advertiser reveals the RSL is among the bidders.
■MAY 15, 2016:The State Government approves the RSL submission to invest $125 million to redevelop the Repat site.
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