❓ Opposition questions the Premier's claim that a hard border was the only health advice, citing the Chief Health Officer's openness to other options like travel bubbles. The Premier defends the hard border policy, accusing the Liberal Party of undermining efforts to protect WA and aligning with Clive Palmer.
AnsweredQoN 785Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
785. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Premier:
I refer to the evidence given by the
Chief Health Officer today to the Education and Health Standing Committee. Over the last six months, why has the Premier been
saying that the hard border is the only available option based on the
health advice, when the Chief Health Officer has clearly stated that, in fact,
other options are available to the government, including a travel bubble that
he considers safe?
INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
785. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Premier:
I refer to the evidence given by the
Chief Health Officer today to the Education and Health Standing Committee. Over the last six months, why has the Premier been
saying that the hard border is the only available option based on the
health advice, when the Chief Health Officer has clearly stated that, in fact,
other options are available to the government, including a travel bubble that
he considers safe?
AnswerView source ↗
The government has been very clear
the whole way along that the hard border is based upon the advice of the Chief
Health Officer and that the Chief Health Officer has expressed concern about
the border arrangements between other states
that are lower risk than states that are higher risk. I have said this
virtually every day now for t he last eight months. For some reason, the
Liberal Party does not hear it. The Liberal Party joined with Clive Palmer in
trying to pull down the state's border. If the Liberal Party had had
its way, Western Australians would have got sick and we would have lost jobs in
our state. It is interesting that the Liberal Party would join with Clive
Palmer in the High Court action as it did
and endorse his High Court action, which is what the state Liberal Party has
done.
Western Australia is the freest
society in Australia. We are the freest community. We have the most open
economy of any state in Australia. That is a fact. If members were to go to the
other states, they would see that they can only dream of the freedoms we enjoy in Western Australia. Obviously, if COVID
comes back, that may well change. The fact
that we do have such a free community and free society makes us more vulnerable
than other states were COVID to come back. New South Wales has all sorts
of closures in place. I note that New South Wales is only now talking about going to a two-square-metre rule outside. We
have had the two-square-metre rule for three months, which has allowed
venues and businesses to employ more people and to get life far more back to
normal than any other state. People across Western Australia understand that.
The only people who do not seem to understand it are members of the state
Liberal Party, who continually undermine every effort that this government has
put in place to protect the health of Western Australians.
the whole way along that the hard border is based upon the advice of the Chief
Health Officer and that the Chief Health Officer has expressed concern about
the border arrangements between other states
that are lower risk than states that are higher risk. I have said this
virtually every day now for t he last eight months. For some reason, the
Liberal Party does not hear it. The Liberal Party joined with Clive Palmer in
trying to pull down the state's border. If the Liberal Party had had
its way, Western Australians would have got sick and we would have lost jobs in
our state. It is interesting that the Liberal Party would join with Clive
Palmer in the High Court action as it did
and endorse his High Court action, which is what the state Liberal Party has
done.
Western Australia is the freest
society in Australia. We are the freest community. We have the most open
economy of any state in Australia. That is a fact. If members were to go to the
other states, they would see that they can only dream of the freedoms we enjoy in Western Australia. Obviously, if COVID
comes back, that may well change. The fact
that we do have such a free community and free society makes us more vulnerable
than other states were COVID to come back. New South Wales has all sorts
of closures in place. I note that New South Wales is only now talking about going to a two-square-metre rule outside. We
have had the two-square-metre rule for three months, which has allowed
venues and businesses to employ more people and to get life far more back to
normal than any other state. People across Western Australia understand that.
The only people who do not seem to understand it are members of the state
Liberal Party, who continually undermine every effort that this government has
put in place to protect the health of Western Australians.
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