CORONAVIRUS —
INDIA
192. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Premier:
(1) Will the Premier update the house on the state
government's efforts to help repatriate those Western Australians needing
to return from India?
(2) Will the
Premier update the house on the aid and assistance being provided by the state
government to help India and neighbouring countries respond to the COVID-19
crisis?
Mr M. McGOWAN
replied:
I thank the member for Jandakot for the question, and I acknowledge
him, the member for Riverton and member for Pilbara, who, no doubt, have family
and friends in India who are going through a very difficult time.
(1)–(2)
What we have seen in India and neighbouring
countries over the course of the last few months is absolutely
devastating. Western Australia is now supporting the repatriation of
Australians and permanent residents who have been in India, ensuring that they
can get back to Australia. A repatriation flight from New Delhi to Perth
arrived yesterday morning at eight o'clock. I am advised that around
140 passengers were onboard and that the disembarkation and processing of those
passengers went very smoothly and there was great collaboration by all agencies
involved. Nearly all passengers had the G2G PASS, the unique Western Australian system, when they arrived and
there were no issues at the airport. We used 11 Transperth buses for
their transportation, as well as a police convoy. I thank everyone involved—all
the staff, and the police officers; everyone at Perth Airport, the border and
quarantine workers, and the hotel staff—for making sure that it all worked well. The passengers from this flight are
now quarantining at the Westin Perth hotel, undergoing 14 days of
quarantine. They will undertake mandated COVID-19 testing on day one, day five
and day 13, and the Westin is well prepared. We made sure that we put in place
strong health controls and that the system is as watertight as possible.
On top of this, we are also
providing aid and assistance for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in responding to
the COVID-19 situation. We have sent an aid package to those three countries.
That package includes 18 ventilators, 10 million masks, 419 000 gloves and more
than 3 100 coveralls. They are surplus to the requirements
of Western Australia should we have an outbreak. We have also allocated $2 million
to a relief funding program. We are providing grants of around $100 000
and $500 000 to local Indian community organisations that are helping to
deliver on-the-ground support in India. They have already successfully provided
oxygen concentrators in hospitals in India, which is a terrific outcome and no
doubt has saved lives in India.
I
thank all of those Indian organisations, but, in particular, I know that all Western
Australians are thinking of the people in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. We
are doing all we can to help them.