❓ Ms. Mettam questions the cost and staffing of a hotel quarantine contract awarded to Healthcare Australia, alleging privatisation. The Minister refutes the privatisation claim, stating it's an extension of existing arrangements to free up public sector healthcare workers.
AnsweredQoN 171Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — HOTEL QUARANTINE CONTRACT —
HEALTHCARE AUSTRALIA
171. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the decision of the McGowan Labor government to privatise the hotel
quarantine contract for health workers to private firm Healthcare
Australia. What is the total cost of this contract; and where will the staff be
sourced from? Will they be sourced from interstate or overseas or will they be
sourced from within WA, effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul?
HEALTHCARE AUSTRALIA
171. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the decision of the McGowan Labor government to privatise the hotel
quarantine contract for health workers to private firm Healthcare
Australia. What is the total cost of this contract; and where will the staff be
sourced from? Will they be sourced from interstate or overseas or will they be
sourced from within WA, effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul?
AnswerView source ↗
Again, the opposition leads with a false
premise, so I am forced to rise to my feet to correct that falsehood; that is,
we are not privatising the hotel quarantining services. There is a component of
that that Healthcare Australia has been
working on since day one, in conjunction with Metropolitan Health Service
personnel. It is simply an extension of the current arrangements that it
already has so that we can continue to make sure that our public sector
healthcare workers are working back in our health system—something that
I think the member would otherwise approve of. But clearly not. The member is
simply sitting there, taking any opportunity she can have to be negative about
the great work that our doctors and nurses are doing in our health system.
Despite the member's negativity, we will continue to make sure that we provide world-class health care, not only
to the people of Western Australia, but a lso to the people in our hotel
quarantining system, as we have done from day one.
premise, so I am forced to rise to my feet to correct that falsehood; that is,
we are not privatising the hotel quarantining services. There is a component of
that that Healthcare Australia has been
working on since day one, in conjunction with Metropolitan Health Service
personnel. It is simply an extension of the current arrangements that it
already has so that we can continue to make sure that our public sector
healthcare workers are working back in our health system—something that
I think the member would otherwise approve of. But clearly not. The member is
simply sitting there, taking any opportunity she can have to be negative about
the great work that our doctors and nurses are doing in our health system.
Despite the member's negativity, we will continue to make sure that we provide world-class health care, not only
to the people of Western Australia, but a lso to the people in our hotel
quarantining system, as we have done from day one.
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