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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 678 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 16 September 2020 by Mr P.J. Rundle

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS — KIMBERLEY

678. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:

I refer the Premier to his comments to the media on 4 September, stating that WA does not have border communities. What is the Premier doing to address the concerns of border communities in the Kimberley, such as families in Halls Creek and Kununurra who rely on access to the Northern Territory for essential services such as medical treatment, small businesses in the Kimberley that provide important services and products for customers in the Northern Territory, and pastoralists and their staff on properties that cross state borders?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

Clearly, one of the big issues in the eastern states is Coolangatta and Tweed Heads. Along the Queensland and New South Wales border, and even a bit inland, there are communities right on the border. On the Victoria and New South Wales border there is Albury–Wodonga and a few others that are split, basically, by the Murray River. Albury–Wodonga is a big community. In South Australia there is Bordertown, appropriately named. In Tasmania, there is not so much! In the case of Western Australia, we do not have communities of that nature.

Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.

The SPEAKER: No; you said that three times.

Mr M. McGOWAN: In the case of Western Australia, we do not have communities of that nature, where, literally, people's lounge rooms sit on the border. We do not have that. That was the point I was making.

Mr P.J. Rundle: We have stations on either side.

Mr M. McGOWAN: I do not know what the member is asking me. Our arrangements are designed to ensure that everyone remains safe and that we keep COVID-19 out of Western Australia. The natural consequence of what the member is arguing is that we bring down the border, and we are not doing that at this point in time.