❓ Ms. Davies questions the Premier about the timeline for removing the G2G PASS and check-in requirements for licensed venues, given WA's high vaccination rates. The Premier defends the measures, citing WA's unique position in its first COVID wave and the importance of vaccination.
AnsweredQoN 202Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — RESTRICTIONS — EASING
202. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
The SPEAKER : Members, are
there any questions? Leader of the Opposition.
Several members interjected.
Ms M.J. DAVIES : That has
given me a fright! It was very enthusiastic, member for Kalgoorlie; I thought I
had got our order wrong!
I refer to the fact that Western Australia
is the last jurisdiction to require the equivalent of a G2G PASS, and news
today that the Northern Territory has scrapped its vaccine check-in
requirements for licensed venues on the basis that the Northern Territory has a
largely vaccinated community and that it was a proportionate response to the
risk the community faced.
(1) Given Western
Australia has one of the highest triple vaccinated populations in the nation
and there is no longer a hard border, when will the government scrap the G2G
PASS requirement?
(2) When will the
Premier drop the check-in requirement for licensed venues in Western Australia?
202. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
The SPEAKER : Members, are
there any questions? Leader of the Opposition.
Several members interjected.
Ms M.J. DAVIES : That has
given me a fright! It was very enthusiastic, member for Kalgoorlie; I thought I
had got our order wrong!
I refer to the fact that Western Australia
is the last jurisdiction to require the equivalent of a G2G PASS, and news
today that the Northern Territory has scrapped its vaccine check-in
requirements for licensed venues on the basis that the Northern Territory has a
largely vaccinated community and that it was a proportionate response to the
risk the community faced.
(1) Given Western
Australia has one of the highest triple vaccinated populations in the nation
and there is no longer a hard border, when will the government scrap the G2G
PASS requirement?
(2) When will the
Premier drop the check-in requirement for licensed venues in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition
for the question.
(1)–(2) As
you know, Madam Speaker, we made a number of changes recently, which started
last week, which reduced some of the requirements for people in terms of the
density limits and so forth of venues across the
state. A whole range of changes have already been made. Further changes are
starting on 14 April, w hich will remove the 500-person cap on
hospitality venues. At that point, we will basically be back to what we term
level 1 restrictions, which are relatively mild compared with what has been in
place around Australia at various times during the pandemic.
Obviously,
Western Australia is in a very different position from other states in that we
are now, e ssentially, going through our first wave. Victoria is up to
wave 5 or thereabouts. New South Wales has been through many waves, and we are,
essentially, in our first wave, so our situation is quite different from other
states. On the way through this pandemic, we have accepted the medical advice
that one of the most important things we can do is get to very high levels of
vaccination. It is one of the key components of keeping Western Australians
safe and reducing hospitalisation, ICU and ventilator rates. The G2G PASS
requires people entering Western Australia to have adhered to the vaccination
requirements, and the vaccination requirements going into certain venues are an
important part of that—that is why they are in place, so we encourage
vaccination amongst Western Australians. Our first and second dose vaccination
rate is around 99 per cent, and our third dose vaccination rate is now at 76 per
cent. We want to continue to get the third dose rate up, particularly as we
head towards winter when people may be more vulnerable. That is one of the things that we are working on because the
third dose rate is very important to ensure that we keep p eople as safe
as possible. We have not made any decisions on this. Obviously, I realise that
those people who are eligible to but have not had their third dose are probably
not too happy about it, but at this point, we are trying to get people to get
vaccinated because all the evidence shows, both here and overseas, that it
saves lives.
for the question.
(1)–(2) As
you know, Madam Speaker, we made a number of changes recently, which started
last week, which reduced some of the requirements for people in terms of the
density limits and so forth of venues across the
state. A whole range of changes have already been made. Further changes are
starting on 14 April, w hich will remove the 500-person cap on
hospitality venues. At that point, we will basically be back to what we term
level 1 restrictions, which are relatively mild compared with what has been in
place around Australia at various times during the pandemic.
Obviously,
Western Australia is in a very different position from other states in that we
are now, e ssentially, going through our first wave. Victoria is up to
wave 5 or thereabouts. New South Wales has been through many waves, and we are,
essentially, in our first wave, so our situation is quite different from other
states. On the way through this pandemic, we have accepted the medical advice
that one of the most important things we can do is get to very high levels of
vaccination. It is one of the key components of keeping Western Australians
safe and reducing hospitalisation, ICU and ventilator rates. The G2G PASS
requires people entering Western Australia to have adhered to the vaccination
requirements, and the vaccination requirements going into certain venues are an
important part of that—that is why they are in place, so we encourage
vaccination amongst Western Australians. Our first and second dose vaccination
rate is around 99 per cent, and our third dose vaccination rate is now at 76 per
cent. We want to continue to get the third dose rate up, particularly as we
head towards winter when people may be more vulnerable. That is one of the things that we are working on because the
third dose rate is very important to ensure that we keep p eople as safe
as possible. We have not made any decisions on this. Obviously, I realise that
those people who are eligible to but have not had their third dose are probably
not too happy about it, but at this point, we are trying to get people to get
vaccinated because all the evidence shows, both here and overseas, that it
saves lives.
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