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.