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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 625 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 9 September 2020 by Mrs L.M. Harvey

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — WA NURSES — MELBOURNE QUARANTINE

625. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Premier:

I have a supplementary question. Can the Premier advise why these selfless nurses were told that there was never a contingency plan to bring them home despite a promise to do so, and will he now apologise to those distressed nurses and their families for his government only providing a solution following significant community and media pressure?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

I want to say that the government has utmost respect and greatest support for these people who went over to Victoria to assist our fellow Australians during their time of need. A number of nurses and logisticians and other people headed to Victoria to assist over this period. They have my utmost support and they have been heroic over this period in volunteering to go and assist our fellow Australians, both in aged care and in hospitals in Victoria. The government called for volunteers to assist, as have all states. The commonwealth government urged us to do that, but I was of a mind that we should do that in any event, because assisting Australians in need is in their interest, it is the right thing to do. It is also in our interest because, obviously, the sooner the virus is under control in Victoria, the better it will be for all Western Australians as well.

Arrangements have been put in place for these seven nurses. There have been conversations over the course of the last day or so between Dr Robyn Lawrence and the nurses to resolve arrangements to the satisfaction of both the nurses and their families, I am advised. The arrangements that have been put in place will allow the nurses to quarantine in Victoria. The six members of the team who are not suffering from COVID, at the conclusion of that period, assuming they do not get ill, will be charter flown, on what is called a clean flight, back to Western Australia. Then they will be able to rejoin their families. This has been resolved by the Chief Health Officer and Dr Robyn Lawrence, who is the Deputy Chief Health Officer, and the individuals themselves in conversations over the course of the last day.

Obviously, it is a very traumatic event for all people involved. On behalf of all Western Australians, I express my thoughts, my appreciation and my gratitude for what they have done. They are great people.