CORONAVIRUS — RESTRICTIONS
362. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Premier:
My
question is to the Premier, but before that, I think it is important to
acknowledge that today is National Sorry Day. I am surprised that the
government did not acknowledge that yet. It is an important day to observe the —
Mr P.C. Tinley interjected.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP: It is
important that it is acknowledged.
Mr P.C. Tinley: You just
politicised it. That's what you just did.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP: Sure.
The SPEAKER: Minister, you
have had your say; the member is on his feet. I call you to order for the first
time.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP:
Certainly, on this day, I think it is important, and on behalf of the Liberal
Party, I acknowledge the solemn day that this represents for —
Mr T. Healy interjected.
The SPEAKER: Member for
Southern River! I call you to order for the first time.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP: — the
stolen generation and the survivors.
The SPEAKER: Member, could
you straightaway get into your question, and through the Chair, please.
Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP: Given the
Premier's health advice allowing for the lifting of regional travel
bans, could he explain why the health advice will not allow for the immediate
lifting of other phase 2 restrictions, including for gyms, beauticians and the
hospitality sector with a limit of 20 customers?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
When we outlined lifting
restrictions a little while ago, we indicated that we would review things over
time and lift restrictions as the health advice allowed. The Chief Health
Officer has advised us that the restrictions within Western Australia—that
is, the borders to the midwest, the Gascoyne, the Pilbara and the goldfields—were
able to be lifted earlier than we otherwise would have done. But he also
requested that we further review other measures within Western Australia around
businesses and numbers of people at premises, and that sort of thing. We have
taken a cautious approach. Today there is a whole bunch of people on a ship in
Fremantle Harbour; yesterday a bunch of people came off an aircraft from Doha.
We are only one case escaping from one of those situations away from
potentially having a big health problem. That is why we have put in place a cautious
approach to lifting restrictions. If the member needed any evidence that we
need a stepped and cautious approach, it is the events of today and yesterday.
Although the opposition continually moans and complains about what we have
done, we will continue with the cautious lifting of restrictions, in line with
other states, in line with national health advice, in line with state health
advice and in line with what the Prime Minister and every other leader in
Australia is doing.
Contrary
to what the opposition might like, another thing that we will do is to keep the
border with the eastern states in
place to protect ourselves from any potential infection coming from, in
particular, New South Wales and Victoria. When we get health advice to
lift that, that is when we will lift it. The Liberal Party might want us to
lift the border and might call for that, but that is not our policy and we will
not lift it until such time as it is appropriate, to protect the health of the
people of this state.