❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses COVID-19 case management related to the Patricia Oldendorff and Vega Dream vessels at Pilbara Ports, focusing on guidelines, investigations, personnel, security, and community communication. The Minister provides detailed responses and tables relevant documentation.
AnsweredQoN 1085Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — VEGA
DREAM AND PATRICIA OLDENDORFF
1085. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the COVID-19 cases from
the Patricia Oldendorff and Vega Dream vessels.
(1) Can the
minister please table any guidelines or documentation issued by the Department
of Health to the Pilbara Ports Authority about COVID-19 case management?
(2) Has the
Department of Health investigated whether any of those guidelines or suggested
arrangements have been actioned by the Pilbara Ports Authority?
(3) How many WA
Health medical personnel are operating at the COVID-19 site and please provide
a list identifying their usual place of occupation?
(4) Who is currently managing
security at the Port Hedland quarantine site?
(5) Given the rising levels of anxiety around
potential outbreaks in the community, what actions are the minister taking to ensure that this does not occur and that the Port Hedland and Pilbara
communities remain informed about the situation?
DREAM AND PATRICIA OLDENDORFF
1085. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the COVID-19 cases from
the Patricia Oldendorff and Vega Dream vessels.
(1) Can the
minister please table any guidelines or documentation issued by the Department
of Health to the Pilbara Ports Authority about COVID-19 case management?
(2) Has the
Department of Health investigated whether any of those guidelines or suggested
arrangements have been actioned by the Pilbara Ports Authority?
(3) How many WA
Health medical personnel are operating at the COVID-19 site and please provide
a list identifying their usual place of occupation?
(4) Who is currently managing
security at the Port Hedland quarantine site?
(5) Given the rising levels of anxiety around
potential outbreaks in the community, what actions are the minister taking to ensure that this does not occur and that the Port Hedland and Pilbara
communities remain informed about the situation?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) I table the
attached document. Outbreak response plans and management protocols are
operational documents that are subject to continual review and refinement.
[See paper 4468 .]
(2) Prior to the outbreaks on the Patricia
Oldendorff and the Vega Dream , a WA Department of Health planning team attended Port Hedland for multiple planning sessions and met with the
Pilbara Ports Authority CEO in Perth to advise, review and assist in the
development of PPA COVID-19 response procedures. The PPA processes have been
reviewed by the Department of Health, and the recommendations and revised
guidelines from the Department of Health have been incorporated into PPA's
response procedures. Considerations of the
unique response required within Port Hedland were also used to revise the
state-level outbreak response plan based on feedback from PPA and other
stakeholders involved in the response.
(3) There are no WA Health medical personnel operating
on either vessel. The State Health Incident Coordination Centre is
working closely with the WA Country Health Service and the local incident
support group to ensure plans are in place for the potential management of
COVID-19 cases from the Vega Dream .
(4) There is
currently no requirement for security on the vessel, as it is 20 nautical miles
offshore. Apart from one crew member who is now in hotel quarantine in Perth,
no other crew have disembarked the vessel.
(5) Keeping the
community well informed about the situation regarding the Patricia
Oldendorff and the Vega Dream vessels remains a priority. Regular
updates have been provided to local as well as statewide media through media
statements, media conferences, responses to media queries and by providing spokespeople for media interviews. A community
meeting was organised by WA Health in South Hedland in response to the Patricia
Oldendorff outbreak, which provided an opportunity to update the local
community on how the outbreak was being handled and for any questions or
concerns to be raised. The panel included Hon Roger Cook, MLA, Minister for
Health; Hon Alannah MacTiernan, MLC, Minister for Ports; Dr Andy Robertson,
Chief Health Officer; as well as Dr Tudor Codreanu, who was leading the outbreak management response in Port Hedland. In
addition, WA Country Health Service has been utilising social media
channels to provide updates directly to the local community and provide
assurance that the community is not at risk.
WA Country Health Service will continue to keep the local community informed.
some notice of the question.
(1) I table the
attached document. Outbreak response plans and management protocols are
operational documents that are subject to continual review and refinement.
[See paper 4468 .]
(2) Prior to the outbreaks on the Patricia
Oldendorff and the Vega Dream , a WA Department of Health planning team attended Port Hedland for multiple planning sessions and met with the
Pilbara Ports Authority CEO in Perth to advise, review and assist in the
development of PPA COVID-19 response procedures. The PPA processes have been
reviewed by the Department of Health, and the recommendations and revised
guidelines from the Department of Health have been incorporated into PPA's
response procedures. Considerations of the
unique response required within Port Hedland were also used to revise the
state-level outbreak response plan based on feedback from PPA and other
stakeholders involved in the response.
(3) There are no WA Health medical personnel operating
on either vessel. The State Health Incident Coordination Centre is
working closely with the WA Country Health Service and the local incident
support group to ensure plans are in place for the potential management of
COVID-19 cases from the Vega Dream .
(4) There is
currently no requirement for security on the vessel, as it is 20 nautical miles
offshore. Apart from one crew member who is now in hotel quarantine in Perth,
no other crew have disembarked the vessel.
(5) Keeping the
community well informed about the situation regarding the Patricia
Oldendorff and the Vega Dream vessels remains a priority. Regular
updates have been provided to local as well as statewide media through media
statements, media conferences, responses to media queries and by providing spokespeople for media interviews. A community
meeting was organised by WA Health in South Hedland in response to the Patricia
Oldendorff outbreak, which provided an opportunity to update the local
community on how the outbreak was being handled and for any questions or
concerns to be raised. The panel included Hon Roger Cook, MLA, Minister for
Health; Hon Alannah MacTiernan, MLC, Minister for Ports; Dr Andy Robertson,
Chief Health Officer; as well as Dr Tudor Codreanu, who was leading the outbreak management response in Port Hedland. In
addition, WA Country Health Service has been utilising social media
channels to provide updates directly to the local community and provide
assurance that the community is not at risk.
WA Country Health Service will continue to keep the local community informed.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.