CORONAVIRUS — VACCINATIONS — INTRASTATE
BORDER RESTRICTIONS
839. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Tourism:
Noting the government has made
public comments that there will be many intrastate borders in regional Western Australia
if WA does not meet a 90 per cent vaccination threshold, which is a trigger for
the WA border reopening, what support and guidance will be provided to tourism
operators impacted by booking cancellations as a result of the government's
intrastate borders?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: The minister,
and only the minister, please.
Mr D.A.
TEMPLEMAN replied:
I thank the member for the
question. As the member knows all too well, we have made it very clear that
vaccination is the way forward out of this.
Every member in this place should be doing absolutely everything they possibly
can within their communities, talking to their communities, talking to
community organisations and to their constituents, to highlight that by
reaching the targets that the Premier has highlighted continuously over a long
period that that will be our way forward.
I want to congratulate the tourism
industry. I, along with the member for Swan Hills, my parliamentary secretary,
have been visiting the regions, as we have done with our tourism roadshows. We
have been through most of the regions now;
we have still got a couple to go. A range of operators and peak stakeholders
and bodies have been doing their part because they realise that their
wellbeing relies on high vaccination rates.
This government's key focus
is on highlighting to everybody in Western Australia to get vaccinated, to not
listen to the rubbish that some people are
peddling on social media and other means, to stop listening to people like Hon Nick
Goiran in the other place and remind themselves, their families, their loved
ones and business owners that by getting vaccinated and achieving the targets
that have been set that we will be on a very, very positive road forward. The member for North West Central needs
to do that. It is incumbent on all of us to do it, particularly those people in regional Western Australia, particularly
those people in the north west of Western Australia, because we recognise
the take-up has to improve. The Premier was up in the north west only this week
and, of course, the Commissioner of Police
is also actively working within those communities, working with local members
to highlight the importance of the vaccination rates.
As we reach towards our targets, a range
of measures will need to be put in place to continue to protect Western Australians,
to continue to protect those people who are working and living in regional Western
Australia, as well as the metropolitan area. I can assure the member for North West
Central and all other members here that our primary focus is to continue to
protect our tourism industry and other businesses by achieving the vaccination rates. We know that in regional Western Australia
particularly, the intrastate campaigns, including the Wander Out Yonder
campaign and others, have been highly successful. In our regions, there have
been record numbers of visitation, which is tremendous. When Western Australians
were asked to wander out yonder and support local communities, regional
communities and businesses and tourism enterprises, they did it in their tens
and tens of thousands. Thank you to the people of Western Australia for doing
that.
Now it is incumbent on all of us to
achieve those vaccination rates. The member for North West Central has a key
role to play as a local member. Show some responsibility and support the
government's campaign.
Several members interjected.
Mr V.A. Catania: I have a supplementary
question.
Mr D.J. Kelly: Sit down, you
mug!
The SPEAKER: Order, please!
Mr V.A. Catania: What did you
call yourself?
The SPEAKER: Minister for
Water —
Mr V.A. Catania: What did you
call yourself?
The SPEAKER: Please sit down,
member.
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER: Minister for Water —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: Order, please,
members! Minister for Water, I ask you to withdraw that remark.
Mr D.J. Kelly: I withdraw.
The SPEAKER: Please stand.
Mr D.J.
KELLY: I withdraw that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
The SPEAKER: Member for North
West Central.
Mr V.A. CATANIA: There must
be a drip in the house!
Several members interjected.
Mr V.A. CATANIA: Will the
minister commit to providing financial support to tourism businesses —
The SPEAKER: Member for North
West Central, I am guessing you do not want your question heard because you
would not have made a smart-arse remark at the start, if you actually wanted
your question treated seriously. I will give you one last chance. Please stand,
ask your question, and I would like to hear it in silence.