❓ Ms. Mettam questions the timing of the government's RAT order and the cost of chartering flights for delivery. The Minister defends the government's actions, citing a global shortage and proactive procurement efforts.
AnsweredQoN 18Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS
18. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the government's
order of some 110 million COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.
(1) What exact date in December
were these tests ordered?
(2) How does the
minister justify spending $1.4 million in taxpayer funds to charter flights to
deliver RATs to WA when the government has clearly dragged its feet in ordering
them?
18. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the government's
order of some 110 million COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.
(1) What exact date in December
were these tests ordered?
(2) How does the
minister justify spending $1.4 million in taxpayer funds to charter flights to
deliver RATs to WA when the government has clearly dragged its feet in ordering
them?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
do not know whether the member for Vasse has noticed, but at the end of last
year, when Omicron appeared, there was a worldwide scramble for RATs—a
global scramble for RATs. It is nonsense to say that for some reason the Western
Australian government was caught on the hop. That is more nonsense from the
member for Vasse, quite frankly. Opposition members choose not to see what was
going on in hospitals in the eastern states. RATs were being purchased in Western
Australia and posted over east because people in the eastern states could not
get them. We have been well prepared. We have used the time wisely. We have
planned with the delayed reopening—the delayed safe transition—and
we have consistently been ordering RATs since mid-December. It is not just one
order; it is a number of orders. Discussions about the procurement of RATs
occurred in the middle of last year. There have been ongoing discussions. I do not make any apology for making
sure that Western Australia has a strong supply of RATs . That is
absolutely what we should be doing; I make no apology for that at all. We will
get them into the country and into the state however we can—that is our
job, frankly. It is our job to make sure that we are prepared and that is what
we have done. Across government we have ordered 105 million RATs. To give the
member some perspective, the commonwealth is providing 1.3 million RATs. We are
not anticipating the commonwealth coming
over the hill; rather, we are ensuring that we are prepared and that we have
those RATs and communities have those RATs.
do not know whether the member for Vasse has noticed, but at the end of last
year, when Omicron appeared, there was a worldwide scramble for RATs—a
global scramble for RATs. It is nonsense to say that for some reason the Western
Australian government was caught on the hop. That is more nonsense from the
member for Vasse, quite frankly. Opposition members choose not to see what was
going on in hospitals in the eastern states. RATs were being purchased in Western
Australia and posted over east because people in the eastern states could not
get them. We have been well prepared. We have used the time wisely. We have
planned with the delayed reopening—the delayed safe transition—and
we have consistently been ordering RATs since mid-December. It is not just one
order; it is a number of orders. Discussions about the procurement of RATs
occurred in the middle of last year. There have been ongoing discussions. I do not make any apology for making
sure that Western Australia has a strong supply of RATs . That is
absolutely what we should be doing; I make no apology for that at all. We will
get them into the country and into the state however we can—that is our
job, frankly. It is our job to make sure that we are prepared and that is what
we have done. Across government we have ordered 105 million RATs. To give the
member some perspective, the commonwealth is providing 1.3 million RATs. We are
not anticipating the commonwealth coming
over the hill; rather, we are ensuring that we are prepared and that we have
those RATs and communities have those RATs.
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