❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Health regarding the transparency of COVID-19 Omicron variant health modelling data provided to the public, alleging deliberate obfuscation. The Minister dismisses the question as nonsensical and accuses Ms. Mettam of lacking understanding.
AnsweredQoN 130Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
HEALTH MODELLING — OMICRON VARIANT
130. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. I reject
the suggestion by the Minister for Health —
The SPEAKER : Sorry, you are
not allowed to argue at this point. You can ask a simple question by way of
supplementary.
Ms L. METTAM : In the absence
of any upper or lower house limits, why is the minister trying to dumb down the
information provided to the public to deliberately avoid any proper scrutiny,
as stated by the Australian Medical Association and many others?
HEALTH MODELLING — OMICRON VARIANT
130. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. I reject
the suggestion by the Minister for Health —
The SPEAKER : Sorry, you are
not allowed to argue at this point. You can ask a simple question by way of
supplementary.
Ms L. METTAM : In the absence
of any upper or lower house limits, why is the minister trying to dumb down the
information provided to the public to deliberately avoid any proper scrutiny,
as stated by the Australian Medical Association and many others?
AnswerView source ↗
I
am always happy to answer questions from the opposition, it is an important
part of our process, of our democracy , but it helps if they make sense.
It helps. That question did not make any sense.
Ms L. Mettam : Upper and lower
house limits. Upper and lower limits.
Ms A. SANDERSON : It does not
make any sense!
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, there is no opportunity to ask a further question at this point. We are
just hearing a brief —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sorry; people
now want to speak while I am speaking. I just want a brief final comment from
the minister if she would like to make it, and then I would like to give the
member for Kalgoorlie the call.
Ms A. SANDERSON : It is clear
that the member for Vasse is again wading into dangerous territory, and that is
territory that she clearly does not understand because she has not read the
modelling and is not across the detail, which is always evident. She is never
across the detail, only after the piece of paper that has been handed to her to
ask a question on behalf of a certain group on a certain day. We have released
the modelling. What the member is asking for —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms A. SANDERSON : Unless the
member for Vasse has found herself becoming a mathematician overnight, she is
asking for raw data, because we have released the modelling—the result
of that data. I welcome her getting out her calculator and going through the
raw data.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, you need to have your mask on.
Ms A. SANDERSON : I welcome
the member for Vasse getting out her calculator and going through the raw data
and the spreadsheets, because she clearly does not trust the Chief Health
Officer and the modelling that he has produced and made public.
am always happy to answer questions from the opposition, it is an important
part of our process, of our democracy , but it helps if they make sense.
It helps. That question did not make any sense.
Ms L. Mettam : Upper and lower
house limits. Upper and lower limits.
Ms A. SANDERSON : It does not
make any sense!
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, there is no opportunity to ask a further question at this point. We are
just hearing a brief —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Sorry; people
now want to speak while I am speaking. I just want a brief final comment from
the minister if she would like to make it, and then I would like to give the
member for Kalgoorlie the call.
Ms A. SANDERSON : It is clear
that the member for Vasse is again wading into dangerous territory, and that is
territory that she clearly does not understand because she has not read the
modelling and is not across the detail, which is always evident. She is never
across the detail, only after the piece of paper that has been handed to her to
ask a question on behalf of a certain group on a certain day. We have released
the modelling. What the member is asking for —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms A. SANDERSON : Unless the
member for Vasse has found herself becoming a mathematician overnight, she is
asking for raw data, because we have released the modelling—the result
of that data. I welcome her getting out her calculator and going through the
raw data.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, you need to have your mask on.
Ms A. SANDERSON : I welcome
the member for Vasse getting out her calculator and going through the raw data
and the spreadsheets, because she clearly does not trust the Chief Health
Officer and the modelling that he has produced and made public.
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