❓ Ms. Davies questions the Premier about vaccination thresholds for transitioning to Phase D of the national COVID plan. The Premier clarifies that no specific vaccination level is agreed upon and criticises the New South Wales COVID response.
AnsweredQoN 413Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
NATIONAL RESPONSE PLAN — VACCINATION THRESHOLD
413. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the government's
position that it will be targeting zero cases of COVID-19 even when a vaccination
threshold of 80 per cent is reached in Western Australia.
(1) Has the
Premier sought advice from the Chief Health Officer as to what percentage of
vaccination in WA will need to be achieved to safely move to phase D of the
national COVID plan?
(2) If yes, will
he table that advice?
NATIONAL RESPONSE PLAN — VACCINATION THRESHOLD
413. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the government's
position that it will be targeting zero cases of COVID-19 even when a vaccination
threshold of 80 per cent is reached in Western Australia.
(1) Has the
Premier sought advice from the Chief Health Officer as to what percentage of
vaccination in WA will need to be achieved to safely move to phase D of the
national COVID plan?
(2) If yes, will
he table that advice?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) In terms of the specifics at the end of the Leader
of the Opposition's question, phase D is part of the national rollout agreed to by the states, territories and
commonwealth on 30 July. Phase D does not set out an exact vaccination level to reach that point, but it
indicates that at that point in time, COVID would be able to be treated
like the flu or any other virus. There is a fundamental misunderstanding from
the Prime Minister down about that. We have
not specified a vaccination level for that phase. When people said over the c ourse
of the last couple of days that it was 80 per cent, that is not the plan agreed
to by the Premiers and the Prime Minister. That is not the plan, so I think
people need to go and read the plan. In terms of the actual vaccination rate
that will allow us to get there, that will be a decision of the national
cabinet—I expect on the advice of the Australian Healthcare Protection
Principal Committee and a whole range of other inputs some time in the future,
but we are nowhere near that.
On the broader argument that occurred
over the last couple of days, I did an interview with Sky News on Thursday in which I said that my preferred
position is not to have COVID in Western Australia. That then went to
air on Sunday, and it launched a firestorm of criticism across Australia. My
preferred position is not to have COVID. Somehow people get angry that that is
my position. I find it extraordinary, I find it ridiculous, that you get
criticised for saying that you prefer not to have COVID. Would people rather we were like New South Wales? I saw Melissa
Price's column this morning in The West Australian ; she wants us to be like New South Wales! The Liberal Party seems to want us to be like
New South Wales. I note that I am getting
criticised by Nationals WA members now. They seem to want the New South Wales
model . Madam Speaker, I do not want the New South Wales model. That
government has failed. It has failed! Its moment of truth was in late June, and
when it had the opportunity to deal with it, it did not—and for that it
must forever be held accountable.
of the Opposition's question, phase D is part of the national rollout agreed to by the states, territories and
commonwealth on 30 July. Phase D does not set out an exact vaccination level to reach that point, but it
indicates that at that point in time, COVID would be able to be treated
like the flu or any other virus. There is a fundamental misunderstanding from
the Prime Minister down about that. We have
not specified a vaccination level for that phase. When people said over the c ourse
of the last couple of days that it was 80 per cent, that is not the plan agreed
to by the Premiers and the Prime Minister. That is not the plan, so I think
people need to go and read the plan. In terms of the actual vaccination rate
that will allow us to get there, that will be a decision of the national
cabinet—I expect on the advice of the Australian Healthcare Protection
Principal Committee and a whole range of other inputs some time in the future,
but we are nowhere near that.
On the broader argument that occurred
over the last couple of days, I did an interview with Sky News on Thursday in which I said that my preferred
position is not to have COVID in Western Australia. That then went to
air on Sunday, and it launched a firestorm of criticism across Australia. My
preferred position is not to have COVID. Somehow people get angry that that is
my position. I find it extraordinary, I find it ridiculous, that you get
criticised for saying that you prefer not to have COVID. Would people rather we were like New South Wales? I saw Melissa
Price's column this morning in The West Australian ; she wants us to be like New South Wales! The Liberal Party seems to want us to be like
New South Wales. I note that I am getting
criticised by Nationals WA members now. They seem to want the New South Wales
model . Madam Speaker, I do not want the New South Wales model. That
government has failed. It has failed! Its moment of truth was in late June, and
when it had the opportunity to deal with it, it did not—and for that it
must forever be held accountable.
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