❓ The Minister for Health updates the house on the government's response to COVID-19 outbreaks in remote Aboriginal communities, particularly Bidyadanga and Jameson, outlining support for vulnerable people and coordination efforts with various agencies.
AnsweredQoN 91Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — REMOTE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Member
for Kimberley, I see you are seeking the call. Member for Kimberley, you have
the call.
91. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the outbreak of COVID-19
in the remote Aboriginal community of Bidyadanga in my electorate and the
COVID-19 outbreak in Jameson earlier this week. Can the minister update the
house on how the government is responding to these outbreaks and outline what
action is being taken to support vulnerable people in the region and in remote
Aboriginal communities?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Member
for Kimberley, I see you are seeking the call. Member for Kimberley, you have
the call.
91. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the outbreak of COVID-19
in the remote Aboriginal community of Bidyadanga in my electorate and the
COVID-19 outbreak in Jameson earlier this week. Can the minister update the
house on how the government is responding to these outbreaks and outline what
action is being taken to support vulnerable people in the region and in remote
Aboriginal communities?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kimberley for
her question. I am not sure which screen to look at! I thank her for her
incredible advocacy for her community, and remote communities in particular in
her region. She is very engaged and active on the ground.
Regional and remote communities
across Western Australia have been preparing for COVID outbreaks, alongside the
WA Country Health Service, the Department of Communities, local Aboriginal
medical services and other local service
providers for the last 18 months to two years. There has been enormous
cooperation between all parties to support these communities. The state
government has run a number of vaccination blitzes across regional communities.
The commonwealth government has also provided vaccination support for medical
services, but the state government, despite it being a commonwealth
responsibility, has stepped in and filled some of those gaps. The WA Country Health Service has established a number
of fixed vaccination clinics in the larger regional centres , but with
additional in-reach vaccination clinics to regional communities, including
door-to-door and doorknocking and talking with communities in the inland towns
and some of the remote nursing posts. Vaccination blitzes have also been
conducted at pop-up vaccination clinics in conjunction with the Department of
Health and Rio Tinto. To ensure clear communication and coordination of support
of these important communities with the Aboriginal community–controlled
health organisations, government departments and remote Aboriginal communities,
we have established the remote Aboriginal community mobilisation unit and
community outreach, which operates out of the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet and within the Aboriginal engagement unit. The unit's role has
been to support remote Aboriginal
communities through the pandemic by coordinating information with agencies,
ACCHOs and remote communities, as well as ensuring that information is
coordinated between the Northern Territory and South Australian governments. I have
met with the Northern Territory and South Australian ministers to discuss those
in the tristate communities who move across the borders and how we are going to
continue to support them and get people to
the closest hospital possible should they need it. The focus of the group has
very much been working with those communities on the appropriateness of
plans for their communities and driven by their communities.
Bidyadanga is obviously experiencing
an outbreak. There are around 950 people in the community at the moment,
including about 120 students in the local school. Kimberley Aboriginal Medical
Services provides the primary emergency care
to that community and has stood up an emergency team to go in there. The team
is coordinating the testing, isolating and contact tracing in those
areas. The community itself has imposed a lockdown and the police have provided
more support there to enforce roadblocks to stop people going in and out of
that community. They are well prepared. I am pleased to say that the double
vaccination rate in that community is over 70 per cent, which is above the national average for Aboriginal
communities. That bodes well. In addition, Broome hospital is on standby to prepare for a surge in COVID testing and to receive COVID patients, and tens
of thousands of rapid antigen tests have been deployed into those remote
communities.
I want to thank the
communities, the services, WACHS and the departments that are all working
together to respond quickly to this
outbreak. The next few months will be tough in WA, particularly for those
communities, but we are coordinated, we are working together, and we
will do the very best we can to support those communities.
her question. I am not sure which screen to look at! I thank her for her
incredible advocacy for her community, and remote communities in particular in
her region. She is very engaged and active on the ground.
Regional and remote communities
across Western Australia have been preparing for COVID outbreaks, alongside the
WA Country Health Service, the Department of Communities, local Aboriginal
medical services and other local service
providers for the last 18 months to two years. There has been enormous
cooperation between all parties to support these communities. The state
government has run a number of vaccination blitzes across regional communities.
The commonwealth government has also provided vaccination support for medical
services, but the state government, despite it being a commonwealth
responsibility, has stepped in and filled some of those gaps. The WA Country Health Service has established a number
of fixed vaccination clinics in the larger regional centres , but with
additional in-reach vaccination clinics to regional communities, including
door-to-door and doorknocking and talking with communities in the inland towns
and some of the remote nursing posts. Vaccination blitzes have also been
conducted at pop-up vaccination clinics in conjunction with the Department of
Health and Rio Tinto. To ensure clear communication and coordination of support
of these important communities with the Aboriginal community–controlled
health organisations, government departments and remote Aboriginal communities,
we have established the remote Aboriginal community mobilisation unit and
community outreach, which operates out of the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet and within the Aboriginal engagement unit. The unit's role has
been to support remote Aboriginal
communities through the pandemic by coordinating information with agencies,
ACCHOs and remote communities, as well as ensuring that information is
coordinated between the Northern Territory and South Australian governments. I have
met with the Northern Territory and South Australian ministers to discuss those
in the tristate communities who move across the borders and how we are going to
continue to support them and get people to
the closest hospital possible should they need it. The focus of the group has
very much been working with those communities on the appropriateness of
plans for their communities and driven by their communities.
Bidyadanga is obviously experiencing
an outbreak. There are around 950 people in the community at the moment,
including about 120 students in the local school. Kimberley Aboriginal Medical
Services provides the primary emergency care
to that community and has stood up an emergency team to go in there. The team
is coordinating the testing, isolating and contact tracing in those
areas. The community itself has imposed a lockdown and the police have provided
more support there to enforce roadblocks to stop people going in and out of
that community. They are well prepared. I am pleased to say that the double
vaccination rate in that community is over 70 per cent, which is above the national average for Aboriginal
communities. That bodes well. In addition, Broome hospital is on standby to prepare for a surge in COVID testing and to receive COVID patients, and tens
of thousands of rapid antigen tests have been deployed into those remote
communities.
I want to thank the
communities, the services, WACHS and the departments that are all working
together to respond quickly to this
outbreak. The next few months will be tough in WA, particularly for those
communities, but we are coordinated, we are working together, and we
will do the very best we can to support those communities.
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