❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health regarding conflicting advice about health concerns raised prior to the Kimberley Ultramarathon tragedy. The Minister denies receiving prior advice and defends his actions, while the Speaker struggles to maintain order amidst interjections.
AnsweredQoN 174Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
kimberley ultramarathon — health
concerns
174. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Kimberley Ultramarathon tragedy and the
minister's advice to the house yesterday that the Department of Health
did not raise concerns with him about the 2010 event.
(1) Will the
minister confirm this answer in light of the advice given to the inquiry by
senior health department officer Dr Andrew Robertson that it probably
highlighted concerns to the minister?
(2) Will the
minister appear before the inquiry to explain his and Eventscorp's role
in allowing the 2011 event to go ahead when a risk management plan was sighted
only the day before?
(3) Despite the
fact that the minister is making light of this issue by smiling and giggling
with the Treasurer, will the state provide ongoing medical assistance to the
women injured in this dreadful event?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members!
concerns
174. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Kimberley Ultramarathon tragedy and the
minister's advice to the house yesterday that the Department of Health
did not raise concerns with him about the 2010 event.
(1) Will the
minister confirm this answer in light of the advice given to the inquiry by
senior health department officer Dr Andrew Robertson that it probably
highlighted concerns to the minister?
(2) Will the
minister appear before the inquiry to explain his and Eventscorp's role
in allowing the 2011 event to go ahead when a risk management plan was sighted
only the day before?
(3) Despite the
fact that the minister is making light of this issue by smiling and giggling
with the Treasurer, will the state provide ongoing medical assistance to the
women injured in this dreadful event?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members!
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) To start doing
personal attacks like that in a question —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order! Member for Collie–Preston, I formally call you to
order for the first time today. When I stood yesterday in this place on this
particular issue, I indicated to members on both sides that I would accept no
interjections whatsoever and I will apply that once again.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : In order to go before the committee, I need the committee to
ask me. The rules of this house are that as a minister I am not required to go
before that committee. But I have already indicated, because the chairman
indicated to me—the chairman should obviously be the source of any
information coming to me—that the committee has made a decision to invite
me, that I would be more than happy to appear before the committee to answer
those questions.
As to the detail put forward—the smoking gun—to
say that I probably was advised by the health department, I checked on my
answer and got advice from the health department that I was not advised.
Therefore, ''probably'' comes out of nothing.
A government member: Probably not!
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Probably not—yes!
I was not aware that there had been health issues in the
previous event. Issues relating to this matter are the province of the
committee and should stay there. The committee has had added to it the shadow
Minister for Tourism —
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I am sure you heard me earlier. I formally
call you to order for the second time today.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
This committee, in my view, has a very important role and it is not just to
look at what happened around these specific events, what led to the tragedy and
whose fault it was, if you like, and what mistakes were made along the way. The
committee will come out with a report that will be presented to this
Parliament. It is a parliamentary committee that reports to Parliament and it
is not up to me as the minister to give running progress on issues that come
before that committee that overtakes and usurps —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, I am sure you heard what I said earlier as well. I formally
call you to order for the first time today.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The member who interjected is not on that committee in her role
as shadow Minister for Tourism; she is on that committee in her role
representing this Parliament and this house, to inquire on behalf of this
Parliament as to the circumstances that led —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member
for Warnbro, I asked everybody in this place to respect the issue that is being
discussed and I expect you to be able to do that. If you are not able to do
that, I am formally going to call you to order.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The committee that represents this Parliament has a very
important role in this. What has become clear from this event is that when a
government department, in this case Tourism WA, takes on a role as a sponsoring
agent of an event, even if it is a private event on private land, as this one
was —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, I am sure you want to stay in here. I formally call you to
order for the second time today. The question has been asked by the member for
Kwinana. The only person I want to hear at this point is the Minister for
Health.
Dr K.D. HAMES : As
a private event on private land, what responsibility does the government take
on in providing sponsorship? Of course, Tourism WA is not the only organisation
that comes under government that provides sponsorship. Healthway is another
good example. Healthway provides sponsorship for a large number of sporting and
other events throughout this state. In fact, as shadow Minister for Tourism, I
think it is critical that the member is involved, as part of a potential future
Labor government that has to manage tourism events, in finding out what is the
responsibility of not only Tourism WA but also other government departments in
seeking assurance on the bona fides of the company undertaking management of
the event. It would seem to me, and I made this comment on radio today, that
what may well come out of this inquiry is a requirement that Tourism WA,
Healthway and probably the Department of Sport and Recreation and any other
government department that provides sponsorship for an event, need to have a
risk management plan put in place and, in my view, probably need to have that
risk management plan checked off by an independent agency. In fact, Tourism
Council Western Australia has put up its hand, but there may well be other
private bodies that follow up those things. Tourism WA's job is largely
in marketing and attracting international visitors, so it may be far better for
a separate agency or organisation to be able to ring up and ask: did it contact
FESA, did it contact the health department, did it contact other government
agencies? For example, that organisation could ask, ''Did they make sure
that an ambulance is on duty?'', when a local sporting match sponsored
by a government department is on.
I think that those are critical questions that that committee
needs to ask. That committee will come back and report to this house. If it
finds criticism —
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Just to conclude, if that committee report to Parliament finds criticism of me
or my department, the appropriate action will be taken at the time when the
committee as a whole reports, making judgement from all the information that is
provided, not picking the eyes out of bits and pieces that come before the
committee as it goes along.
personal attacks like that in a question —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order! Member for Collie–Preston, I formally call you to
order for the first time today. When I stood yesterday in this place on this
particular issue, I indicated to members on both sides that I would accept no
interjections whatsoever and I will apply that once again.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : In order to go before the committee, I need the committee to
ask me. The rules of this house are that as a minister I am not required to go
before that committee. But I have already indicated, because the chairman
indicated to me—the chairman should obviously be the source of any
information coming to me—that the committee has made a decision to invite
me, that I would be more than happy to appear before the committee to answer
those questions.
As to the detail put forward—the smoking gun—to
say that I probably was advised by the health department, I checked on my
answer and got advice from the health department that I was not advised.
Therefore, ''probably'' comes out of nothing.
A government member: Probably not!
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Probably not—yes!
I was not aware that there had been health issues in the
previous event. Issues relating to this matter are the province of the
committee and should stay there. The committee has had added to it the shadow
Minister for Tourism —
Mr M.P. Murray interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I am sure you heard me earlier. I formally
call you to order for the second time today.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
This committee, in my view, has a very important role and it is not just to
look at what happened around these specific events, what led to the tragedy and
whose fault it was, if you like, and what mistakes were made along the way. The
committee will come out with a report that will be presented to this
Parliament. It is a parliamentary committee that reports to Parliament and it
is not up to me as the minister to give running progress on issues that come
before that committee that overtakes and usurps —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, I am sure you heard what I said earlier as well. I formally
call you to order for the first time today.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The member who interjected is not on that committee in her role
as shadow Minister for Tourism; she is on that committee in her role
representing this Parliament and this house, to inquire on behalf of this
Parliament as to the circumstances that led —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member
for Warnbro, I asked everybody in this place to respect the issue that is being
discussed and I expect you to be able to do that. If you are not able to do
that, I am formally going to call you to order.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The committee that represents this Parliament has a very
important role in this. What has become clear from this event is that when a
government department, in this case Tourism WA, takes on a role as a sponsoring
agent of an event, even if it is a private event on private land, as this one
was —
Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, I am sure you want to stay in here. I formally call you to
order for the second time today. The question has been asked by the member for
Kwinana. The only person I want to hear at this point is the Minister for
Health.
Dr K.D. HAMES : As
a private event on private land, what responsibility does the government take
on in providing sponsorship? Of course, Tourism WA is not the only organisation
that comes under government that provides sponsorship. Healthway is another
good example. Healthway provides sponsorship for a large number of sporting and
other events throughout this state. In fact, as shadow Minister for Tourism, I
think it is critical that the member is involved, as part of a potential future
Labor government that has to manage tourism events, in finding out what is the
responsibility of not only Tourism WA but also other government departments in
seeking assurance on the bona fides of the company undertaking management of
the event. It would seem to me, and I made this comment on radio today, that
what may well come out of this inquiry is a requirement that Tourism WA,
Healthway and probably the Department of Sport and Recreation and any other
government department that provides sponsorship for an event, need to have a
risk management plan put in place and, in my view, probably need to have that
risk management plan checked off by an independent agency. In fact, Tourism
Council Western Australia has put up its hand, but there may well be other
private bodies that follow up those things. Tourism WA's job is largely
in marketing and attracting international visitors, so it may be far better for
a separate agency or organisation to be able to ring up and ask: did it contact
FESA, did it contact the health department, did it contact other government
agencies? For example, that organisation could ask, ''Did they make sure
that an ambulance is on duty?'', when a local sporting match sponsored
by a government department is on.
I think that those are critical questions that that committee
needs to ask. That committee will come back and report to this house. If it
finds criticism —
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Just to conclude, if that committee report to Parliament finds criticism of me
or my department, the appropriate action will be taken at the time when the
committee as a whole reports, making judgement from all the information that is
provided, not picking the eyes out of bits and pieces that come before the
committee as it goes along.
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