❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Health Minister about the cost-effectiveness of chartering a flight for RATs while local supplies were being sent interstate, implying government unpreparedness. The Minister deflects by highlighting past financial mismanagement by the previous Liberal-National government.
AnsweredQoN 19Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS
19. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
Does this woeful use of taxpayer funds—$1.4 million to charter a flight
to bring RATs into WA while local supplies were being sent over east—not
illustrate that the government is not prepared?
The SPEAKER : Sorry, member
for Vasse, I have reminded you of this before. A supplementary is to ask a question ,
not to enter into debate. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond.
19. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question.
Does this woeful use of taxpayer funds—$1.4 million to charter a flight
to bring RATs into WA while local supplies were being sent over east—not
illustrate that the government is not prepared?
The SPEAKER : Sorry, member
for Vasse, I have reminded you of this before. A supplementary is to ask a question ,
not to enter into debate. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond.
AnswerView source ↗
RATs are going to save lives—full
stop. RATs form an important part of the fight against Omicron. If the member
for Vasse wants to talk about the mismanagement of taxpayer funds, I am more
than happy to enter into that debate with her. The two tomes of the Langoulant
report refer to a litany of wasted taxpayer funds. It was woeful. The former
Liberal–National government almost bankrupted the state. When we took
over government in 2017, the former Liberal–National government was
borrowing to pay the bills. The Liberal–National government undertook a
$4.3 billion contract with Serco to manage Fiona Stanley Hospital with no
cost-benefit analysis. The Langoulant report claimed that that was astonishing.
On the handling of Perth Children's Hospital, the report said that the
project was ''plagued by one problem after another'', that there
was a dodgy deal to outsource the car park, which cost $16 million in
compensation, and that the former Liberal–National government wasted up
to $81 million on unnecessary IT services. There is some real gall coming from
the members on the Liberal and National benches in talking about wasting
taxpayer money. RATs will save lives. RATs are an important tool in the early
detection of Omicron and saving lives.
stop. RATs form an important part of the fight against Omicron. If the member
for Vasse wants to talk about the mismanagement of taxpayer funds, I am more
than happy to enter into that debate with her. The two tomes of the Langoulant
report refer to a litany of wasted taxpayer funds. It was woeful. The former
Liberal–National government almost bankrupted the state. When we took
over government in 2017, the former Liberal–National government was
borrowing to pay the bills. The Liberal–National government undertook a
$4.3 billion contract with Serco to manage Fiona Stanley Hospital with no
cost-benefit analysis. The Langoulant report claimed that that was astonishing.
On the handling of Perth Children's Hospital, the report said that the
project was ''plagued by one problem after another'', that there
was a dodgy deal to outsource the car park, which cost $16 million in
compensation, and that the former Liberal–National government wasted up
to $81 million on unnecessary IT services. There is some real gall coming from
the members on the Liberal and National benches in talking about wasting
taxpayer money. RATs will save lives. RATs are an important tool in the early
detection of Omicron and saving lives.
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