Ms. Davies asks the Premier whether the Quarantine Advisory Panel has met since its formation. The Premier admits they don't know and pivots to discussing the importance of quarantine and alternative solutions, criticising the opposition.

AnsweredQoN 194Legislative Assembly
Asked
3 June 2021
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

QUARANTINE ADVISORY PANEL — QUARANTINE
FACILITIES
194. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. The Premier did not answer
the question that I asked, which is: has the Quarantine Advisory Panel met
since its formation last Thursday; and, if so, when and how many times?

AnswerView source ↗

I do not know the answer to that
question; I am not the relevant minister. Obviously, within government, we do a
whole range of things and work on this issue. I will outline to the house a couple
of quick things. Australia and Western Australia
have had one of the best records in the world in dealing with COVID. Our hotel
quarantine system , whilst imperfect, has done a pretty good job. The
problem is that when something happens, the consequences can be quite severe,
as we saw with the Adelaide outbreak that then spread into Victoria, and look
what is going on in Victoria. Australia does
not have a tolerance policy for COVID in the community. We want to get rid of
it, and I agree with that. When it
spreads around, as it has done in other countries, it is devastating, so we
want to get rid of it. The consequences of an outbreak from hotel
quarantine is devastating. Although the system has worked 99.99 per cent of the
time, the times that it has not worked have had dramatic outcomes.
Everyone wants us to look at
alternatives. We are looking at alternatives, particularly alternatives that
might last beyond the pandemic and there might be an ongoing benefit for a community
out of it. I have heard the Leader of the Opposition on many occasions
demanding accommodation out there in regional communities for workers and the
like. We proposed a solution that might have that ongoing benefit and the
opposition says they do not want it. You are just a bunch of nimbys!

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