❓ The Premier addresses mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for FIFO and resource sector workers, highlighting the importance of protecting vulnerable communities and criticising misinformation campaigns undermining vaccination efforts.
AnsweredQoN 565Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS
— VACCINATIONS — RESOURCE SECTOR
565. Mr K.J.J. MICHEL to the Premier:
I refer to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
Can the Premier update the house on the decision to mandate vaccinations for
fly-in fly-out and resource sector workers and what this will mean for regional
and remote communities; and can he outline
to the house any threats to the state's efforts in getting as many Western
Australians vaccinated as possible?
— VACCINATIONS — RESOURCE SECTOR
565. Mr K.J.J. MICHEL to the Premier:
I refer to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
Can the Premier update the house on the decision to mandate vaccinations for
fly-in fly-out and resource sector workers and what this will mean for regional
and remote communities; and can he outline
to the house any threats to the state's efforts in getting as many Western
Australians vaccinated as possible?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Pilbara for the question. We have
worked hard with the resources industry to ensure that it could operate safely
over the last two years, and we have been successful. There has been no
disruption to the Western Australian mining and resources sector or the oil and
gas sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, contrary to what has occurred in the
other states and other countries around the world. We are now introducing
mandatory vaccinations for FIFO and other
workers in mining and exploration or oil and gas, and for those who work in
remote operations or run critical infrastructure. I note that many
companies are expanding that requirement for workers to be vaccinated. These
workers will be required to have had at least their first dose by 1 December
this year and be fully vaccinated by 1 January next year as part of this
mandated program.
I realise that this requirement has a degree of controversy
with some people but the reality is that this is a critical sector and it
operates in areas where people are vulnerable, including Aboriginal people,
people in regional communities and older
people and the like who live some distance from major health services and hospitals.
One of our goals is to protect the
Aboriginal community. That is very important. We have to get a higher level of
vaccination in Aboriginal communities. We will continue to work with the
commonwealth but I remind people that under the national agreement, it is a commonwealth
responsibility to get Aboriginal people vaccinated as soon as possible. We have
worked with the industry to put in pop-up clinics. The Minister for Health and
I were at the airport the other day with representatives from Rio Tinto. It is
putting in place a pop-up clinic at the airport to get its workers vaccinated on their way to site or on their way
home, which is terrific. We have also set up vaccination clinics in the state's north west—at Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Port Hedland and
Newman. Indeed, about 100 services are operating across the state to get people
vaccinated as soon as possible.
Despite our best efforts,
a large amount of undermining is still going on. I want to refer to the ads by
Mr Craig Kelly, the putative leader of the United Australia Party. I have
seen him on the television. I do not mind him advertising, attacking the
Liberals and Nationals, the Labor Party and Greens over whatever issues might
be out there. That is part of political discourse. But I do mind him misleading
people about vaccinations, because he will cost lives. The ads that he is
running are absolutely reprehensible and shocking. They discourage vaccination
and heavily mislead people about its consequences. Vaccination will save lives,
as it has for polio, smallpox and every other disease
throughout history. It will save people's lives. People like Craig
Kelly, with their stupid misleading ads, will cost people their lives
when they discourage people from being vaccinated. The alleged facts that he
puts in his ad are wrong, misleading and shocking. It is akin to him putting
out ads promoting smoking or telling people not to wear a seatbelt. He is doing
the same thing with these stupid ads that he is putting out there. He is an
embarrassment to this country when he puts
these ads on the television because their ultimate impact will be that people's
lives will be lost. I encourage Mr Kelly and his supporters—we
know who they are—to stop this. There is politics and then there is costing people their lives. If he wants
to attack me or the Liberal Party, the Labor Party, the Greens or whatever over any policy issue, that is fine but he
cannot stop people from getting vaccinated because the ultimate consequence of that is that people will die.
worked hard with the resources industry to ensure that it could operate safely
over the last two years, and we have been successful. There has been no
disruption to the Western Australian mining and resources sector or the oil and
gas sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, contrary to what has occurred in the
other states and other countries around the world. We are now introducing
mandatory vaccinations for FIFO and other
workers in mining and exploration or oil and gas, and for those who work in
remote operations or run critical infrastructure. I note that many
companies are expanding that requirement for workers to be vaccinated. These
workers will be required to have had at least their first dose by 1 December
this year and be fully vaccinated by 1 January next year as part of this
mandated program.
I realise that this requirement has a degree of controversy
with some people but the reality is that this is a critical sector and it
operates in areas where people are vulnerable, including Aboriginal people,
people in regional communities and older
people and the like who live some distance from major health services and hospitals.
One of our goals is to protect the
Aboriginal community. That is very important. We have to get a higher level of
vaccination in Aboriginal communities. We will continue to work with the
commonwealth but I remind people that under the national agreement, it is a commonwealth
responsibility to get Aboriginal people vaccinated as soon as possible. We have
worked with the industry to put in pop-up clinics. The Minister for Health and
I were at the airport the other day with representatives from Rio Tinto. It is
putting in place a pop-up clinic at the airport to get its workers vaccinated on their way to site or on their way
home, which is terrific. We have also set up vaccination clinics in the state's north west—at Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Port Hedland and
Newman. Indeed, about 100 services are operating across the state to get people
vaccinated as soon as possible.
Despite our best efforts,
a large amount of undermining is still going on. I want to refer to the ads by
Mr Craig Kelly, the putative leader of the United Australia Party. I have
seen him on the television. I do not mind him advertising, attacking the
Liberals and Nationals, the Labor Party and Greens over whatever issues might
be out there. That is part of political discourse. But I do mind him misleading
people about vaccinations, because he will cost lives. The ads that he is
running are absolutely reprehensible and shocking. They discourage vaccination
and heavily mislead people about its consequences. Vaccination will save lives,
as it has for polio, smallpox and every other disease
throughout history. It will save people's lives. People like Craig
Kelly, with their stupid misleading ads, will cost people their lives
when they discourage people from being vaccinated. The alleged facts that he
puts in his ad are wrong, misleading and shocking. It is akin to him putting
out ads promoting smoking or telling people not to wear a seatbelt. He is doing
the same thing with these stupid ads that he is putting out there. He is an
embarrassment to this country when he puts
these ads on the television because their ultimate impact will be that people's
lives will be lost. I encourage Mr Kelly and his supporters—we
know who they are—to stop this. There is politics and then there is costing people their lives. If he wants
to attack me or the Liberal Party, the Labor Party, the Greens or whatever over any policy issue, that is fine but he
cannot stop people from getting vaccinated because the ultimate consequence of that is that people will die.
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