❓ Opposition questions the Premier on the lack of transparency regarding the health advice underpinning WA's border closure strategy, given the reliance on unpredictable community spread in other states. The Premier deflects, accusing the opposition of endangering public health and highlighting the stricter COVID-19 rules in eastern states.
AnsweredQoN 713Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — INTERSTATE BORDER
RESTRICTIONS
713. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. The Premier has not tabled any recent health
advice from our Chief Health O fficer; however, how is it possible to
determine when Western Australia's interstate border will open when the
criteria is entirely dependent on community spread in other jurisdictions,
which, by its nature, is impossible to determine?
RESTRICTIONS
713. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. The Premier has not tabled any recent health
advice from our Chief Health O fficer; however, how is it possible to
determine when Western Australia's interstate border will open when the
criteria is entirely dependent on community spread in other jurisdictions,
which, by its nature, is impossible to determine?
AnswerView source ↗
Once
again, I do not understand the Leader of the Opposition. I suspect her
colleagues do not either. That was a very bizarre question and a very
bizarre thing she is putting forward.
The SPEAKER : I do not know
whether it was a supplementary, but you can answer.
Mr M. McGOWAN : I will just
say about the opposition and the Liberal Party that if they had their way, the
virus would have come back, people in this state would have got sick and we
would have lost jobs. That is what would have happened, Mr Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I will also
pose a question about the other states. What is the situation in those states
calling for the border to come down? They
have the four-square-metre rule in place, all sorts of restrictions on
functions and events, and in fact say that if people can work from home,
they should work from home. States over east are saying, ''Pull down Western
Australia's border'', but within their own boundaries, they have
the four-square-metre rule, limits on funerals, weddings, functions and events,
and are telling people to work from home—yet they are saying it is all
safe there. If it is so safe in the eastern states, why do they have all these
rules in place that we do not have in Western Australia?
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I know the
Liberal Party is desperately trying to pull down our borders, but we are not
going to do it until the evidence is there and the medical advice is there that
it is safe to do so.
again, I do not understand the Leader of the Opposition. I suspect her
colleagues do not either. That was a very bizarre question and a very
bizarre thing she is putting forward.
The SPEAKER : I do not know
whether it was a supplementary, but you can answer.
Mr M. McGOWAN : I will just
say about the opposition and the Liberal Party that if they had their way, the
virus would have come back, people in this state would have got sick and we
would have lost jobs. That is what would have happened, Mr Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I will also
pose a question about the other states. What is the situation in those states
calling for the border to come down? They
have the four-square-metre rule in place, all sorts of restrictions on
functions and events, and in fact say that if people can work from home,
they should work from home. States over east are saying, ''Pull down Western
Australia's border'', but within their own boundaries, they have
the four-square-metre rule, limits on funerals, weddings, functions and events,
and are telling people to work from home—yet they are saying it is all
safe there. If it is so safe in the eastern states, why do they have all these
rules in place that we do not have in Western Australia?
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I know the
Liberal Party is desperately trying to pull down our borders, but we are not
going to do it until the evidence is there and the medical advice is there that
it is safe to do so.
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