❓ The Premier updates the house on strengthened border arrangements to protect WA from COVID-19, particularly the Delta variant outbreak in NSW, and addresses threats from Clive Palmer's legal challenges to border controls.
AnsweredQoN 415Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
415. Ms K.E. GIDDENS to the Premier:
I
refer to Western Australia's response to the sustained outbreak of the
COVID-19 Delta variant in New South Wales . Can the Premier update the
house on Western Australia's strengthened controlled border
arrangements and outline how this will help protect Western Australians; and
can the Premier advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who is trying to
threaten or undermine the health of Western Australians?
INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
415. Ms K.E. GIDDENS to the Premier:
I
refer to Western Australia's response to the sustained outbreak of the
COVID-19 Delta variant in New South Wales . Can the Premier update the
house on Western Australia's strengthened controlled border
arrangements and outline how this will help protect Western Australians; and
can the Premier advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who is trying to
threaten or undermine the health of Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Bateman for
the question. Today, we have seen 452 new cases in New South Wales and another
death, on top of the seven deaths and 478 cases yesterday. The outbreak is now
significantly in regional New South Wales,
including Dubbo, the town where my mother was born and raised and where my
mother's family is from. It is a very difficult situation for
New South Wales and it has some difficult months ahead. We have seen the virus
seed from New South Wales into other states, including Queensland, Victoria and
here. As members know, it came here in June. We locked down and crushed and
killed the Delta variant; that is something that is not well understood in the eastern states. That is what happened. That is
what we did. We did not get any financial s upport from the commonwealth
or anywhere else for the measures we had to put in place to deal with that. Now
we see 17 cases today in the ACT; I understand
there were 19 cases yesterday. That is because COVID-19 seeded out of New
South Wales because it did not take the steps it needed to in late June to deal
with it. Now we see it in New South Wales in areas with high Aboriginal
populations.
We are doing all we can to assist
New South Wales, including keeping our industries open and delivering huge
revenue to the commonwealth, which can then go to fund New South Wales. We will
continue to do that without complaint. We
have supported the commonwealth rolling out half a million vaccines in New
South Wales that it acquired from Poland. I think that was the right
decision, even though it means that the vaccine rollout here will not receive the same amount as New South Wales. As
we speak, our team of contact tracers are working to assist the New
South Wales government. We are doing all we can to assist the people of New
South Wales.
As of midnight last night, we have
had to move New South Wales into what is termed a new high-risk category, which
will require anyone coming from New South Wales to get a polymerase chain
reaction test, be vaccinated and have the G2G Now app whilst in quarantine.
They will still need to meet exemption guidelines, but what we are saying, and
has been communicated, is that for Western Australians who went to New South
Wales over the course of this year and who
now wish to come home, the compassionate grounds will be more flexible,
provided they meet the criteria to return to Western Australia. I think
that is a fair and reasonable way forward for those people.
In
terms of threats to Western Australia, one threat is a Queensland businessman,
whose name is Clive Frederick Palmer . He is now going to take further
High Court action against the government of Western Australia. The High Court
has already made a unanimous ruling that our border controls were justified,
constitutional and proportionate and would
save lives, as the Federal Court indicated as well. We will do everything we
can to combat Clive Palmer again . That is how we respond to bullies and
narcissists. His harassment and threats seem to be directed only towards the
people of Western Australia because the government blocked his $30 million case
against this state. He seems to be driven by hostility to Western Australia. He
has no care or empathy; he just has selfishness as his primary aim. He is a deceitful
person. He has all the characteristics of a sociopath in the way that he is
behaving. His mindset is not something I understand. If I had obscene amounts
of money like he does, I would dedicate it towards helping the poor, solving
medical issues or saving the environment, rather than just seeking to get more
money and more power and cause more mayhem.
If he has his way, people in Western Australia could potentially die, so we
will do everything we can to ensure that he fails once again.
the question. Today, we have seen 452 new cases in New South Wales and another
death, on top of the seven deaths and 478 cases yesterday. The outbreak is now
significantly in regional New South Wales,
including Dubbo, the town where my mother was born and raised and where my
mother's family is from. It is a very difficult situation for
New South Wales and it has some difficult months ahead. We have seen the virus
seed from New South Wales into other states, including Queensland, Victoria and
here. As members know, it came here in June. We locked down and crushed and
killed the Delta variant; that is something that is not well understood in the eastern states. That is what happened. That is
what we did. We did not get any financial s upport from the commonwealth
or anywhere else for the measures we had to put in place to deal with that. Now
we see 17 cases today in the ACT; I understand
there were 19 cases yesterday. That is because COVID-19 seeded out of New
South Wales because it did not take the steps it needed to in late June to deal
with it. Now we see it in New South Wales in areas with high Aboriginal
populations.
We are doing all we can to assist
New South Wales, including keeping our industries open and delivering huge
revenue to the commonwealth, which can then go to fund New South Wales. We will
continue to do that without complaint. We
have supported the commonwealth rolling out half a million vaccines in New
South Wales that it acquired from Poland. I think that was the right
decision, even though it means that the vaccine rollout here will not receive the same amount as New South Wales. As
we speak, our team of contact tracers are working to assist the New
South Wales government. We are doing all we can to assist the people of New
South Wales.
As of midnight last night, we have
had to move New South Wales into what is termed a new high-risk category, which
will require anyone coming from New South Wales to get a polymerase chain
reaction test, be vaccinated and have the G2G Now app whilst in quarantine.
They will still need to meet exemption guidelines, but what we are saying, and
has been communicated, is that for Western Australians who went to New South
Wales over the course of this year and who
now wish to come home, the compassionate grounds will be more flexible,
provided they meet the criteria to return to Western Australia. I think
that is a fair and reasonable way forward for those people.
In
terms of threats to Western Australia, one threat is a Queensland businessman,
whose name is Clive Frederick Palmer . He is now going to take further
High Court action against the government of Western Australia. The High Court
has already made a unanimous ruling that our border controls were justified,
constitutional and proportionate and would
save lives, as the Federal Court indicated as well. We will do everything we
can to combat Clive Palmer again . That is how we respond to bullies and
narcissists. His harassment and threats seem to be directed only towards the
people of Western Australia because the government blocked his $30 million case
against this state. He seems to be driven by hostility to Western Australia. He
has no care or empathy; he just has selfishness as his primary aim. He is a deceitful
person. He has all the characteristics of a sociopath in the way that he is
behaving. His mindset is not something I understand. If I had obscene amounts
of money like he does, I would dedicate it towards helping the poor, solving
medical issues or saving the environment, rather than just seeking to get more
money and more power and cause more mayhem.
If he has his way, people in Western Australia could potentially die, so we
will do everything we can to ensure that he fails once again.
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