CORONAVIRUS — INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
607. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I
refer to plans recently released by Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and
Tasmania outlining how they intend to
safely reopen their state borders. When can we expect a road map for Western Australia
for our post-COVID-19 future to be released by the government?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
I
thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question; I have a few things to say
before I answer it. On behalf of the member for West Swan, I acknowledge
the year 6 leaders, board and P&C members from Brabham Primary School; it
is great to see you here. On behalf of the member for Cannington, I acknowledge
the Clontarf Academy from Sevenoaks Senior College. On behalf of the member for
Belmont, I acknowledge the Belmont Clontarf Academy. I acknowledge Mr David
Gainer, the US Consul General, who has come to join us in the Parliament of Western
Australia. Thank you so much, Consul General; it was a long trip for you to get
here.
On a more sombre note, I acknowledge
the family of, and the people searching for, Cleo Smith in the Gascoyne region.
It is obviously a very, very distressing situation and we very much hope for a successful
and happy outcome to this very, very awful and traumatic event.
In relation to the opposition leader's
question, as I have said repeatedly, we expect that some time in the first half
of next year, we will be able to open our border to New South Wales, Victoria
and the Australian Capital Territory. As of Friday this week, we will have an
open border to South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Queensland. People will be free to travel between
all those jurisdictions and here, subject to the G2G PASS controls and
other health measures. They will be free to travel between all those
jurisdictions and here, which is the vast majority
of the landmass of Australia. Millions of people will be able to move freely
between here and those places. The issue with New South Wales and
Victoria is clear for everyone; that is, if we open the border to New South
Wales and Victoria too quickly, the virus will come here and we will have a very
serious situation to deal with, as they have had to deal with. Our position
consistently for the last two years has been that we will be cautious and
careful and do what is safe and responsible to keep this state secure and
healthy, and that is our plan.
The Leader of the Opposition
mentioned the road maps of New South Wales and Victoria. I saw that the
Victorian government had released its road
map, which allows people to go out while wearing a mask. People from Melbourne
are not allowed to go to country Victoria. People have to work from home, but
at least they are allowed to work, and gatherings of 10 people are permitted.
That is what is happening in Victoria, and it is something similar in New South
Wales. When they say it is freedom, it is a very restricted freedom in New
South Wales. Here in Western Australia, we do not have any of those
restrictions. It is so hard for them over there to grasp that; they do not get
it. We do not have any of those restrictions in place here in Western Australia
because we do not have the virus and we are keen to keep it out whilst we get
our population vaccinated.
Were we to follow, for instance,
the Queensland road map, which the opposition leader mentioned, chances are we would get transmission of the virus in Western Australia
before Christmas. Were that to occur, we would then have to look at public
health safety measures. That may well be mask wearing, restrictions on
restaurants and bars, restrictions on the capacity at various events,
and restrictions on Christmas functions and holidays around Western Australia.
I do not want to do that. Christmas is a wonderful time and I do not want to
put restrictions in place over Christmas. We
are trying to keep our tourism and hospitality industries and our economy as
open and free as possible and prevent
health outcomes that could be catastrophic within the state, whilst, at the
same time, maximise the vaccination rollout in Western Australia and
have a wonderful, lovely, exciting and normal Christmas in our state. That is
our plan, and I certainly hope we can achieve it. Obviously, in light of the
opposition's comments, it does not share that plan. Its plan, as it
always has been, is to undermine everything this government tries to do to keep
the people of Western Australia safe.