CENTRE FOR NATIONAL RESILIENCE
616. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to reported plans to use
the Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook to accommodate people from
outside Western Australia.
(1) Does the
Premier believe it is appropriate to provide accommodation for interstate and
overseas workers when a large number of Western Australian families are living
in their cars or in tents?
(2) Why can the
facility not be used to assist Western Australians who are struggling to find
rental accommodation and with the cost of living?
(3) Can the Premier confirm that the WA state
government strongly supported the construction of the quarantine facility
in August 2021 and that it requested the facility be built in Bullsbrook by the
commonwealth government?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
(1)–(3) The
commonwealth government built-and-owned Centre for National Resilience at
Bullsbrook was designed as a quarantine centre for international arrivals. The
state and commonwealth governments are still actively managing the COVID-19
pandemic. The emergence of Omicron sub-variants demonstrates that Australia
needs to retain readiness to respond to changes in the pandemic. During this
time, the commonwealth is supportive of the state utilising the centre for an
alternative purpose as long as there is an ability to stand up accommodation
for quarantine purposes if required. A number of alternative uses have been considered, including short-term
accommodation for international and interstate skilled labourers, crisis
accommodation for people at risk of homelessness, and emergency response
accommodation for natural disaster relief. No final decision has been made
about an alternative use.