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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 35 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 5 May 2021 by Mr R.S. Love

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — QUARANTINE ARRANGEMENTS

35. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:

I refer to the Premier's calls, restated today, for RAAF Base Curtin, near Derby, to be used for COVID-19 quarantine. Can the Premier confirm that any outbreak in the Kimberley would have a devastating impact on remote Aboriginal communities that are more susceptible to COVID and have limited medical facilities, often remote from where they live?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

Obviously there is a trend amongst members of the current opposition to undermine all our efforts on COVID. That is what is occurring. We have gone through 14 or 15 months as one of the most successful jurisdictions in the world in dealing with this. The whole way along, we were undermined and attacked by the Liberals and Nationals. We had an election that produced a result that showed that our actions and measures when it comes to COVID were endorsed by the public. The current opposition of six members continues to undermine all our efforts.

It is important that commonwealth facilities be used now. We have the situation that has emerged overseas, in particular in India. As I advised during my press conference today, there is some talk of emergency flights coming home. There are only certain options available to us. There is an airstrip and a quarantine facility nearby. There are not many. Technically, there are about two or three in Western Australia. One of them happens to be Curtin. In other states, they are out there as well. We put in place measures to protect Indigenous communities in Western Australia over the last 14 or 15 months that have been remarkably successful in protecting Aboriginal communities, and that will continue. Those measures would stay in place. Obviously, we would do everything we can to protect Aboriginal communities. There are only certain answers out there. We can say that no Australians or other people return to the country, and that is one measure. We can say they can return and then we have to provide facilities for them to stay. Hotels were never built for this purpose. The state agreed to take it on for the reasons the health minister outlined early last year. We will only do what we can safely manage. That is why we are reducing the numbers. There are only certain other options. If the Deputy Leader of the Opposition can come up with other options, please put them forward.

There are facilities—that is what the opposition is not getting! There are secure facilities that are there. They are currently sitting there. Honestly, all we get from the opposition—it is starting again; it did four years of this—is silly and ridiculous questions. It has not changed.