Coronavirus

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:48): My question is to the Premier. How many additional ventilators are on order, and when will those ventilators arrive?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:48): That's a very important question. My understanding is that we will be doubling our ICU and ventilator capacity in South Australia. Although I don't want to give incorrect information to this house, without referring to it I can say that, when I looked on the list of ventilator capacity in South Australia versus other jurisdictions around Australia, I think South Australia should feel very happy, confident and assured that the public health administration in South Australia is working very hard to increase the ventilator and ECMO capacity in South Australia to what surely is at the top—or, if not, near the top—in Australia.

In fact, the list that I looked at last night suggested that we certainly had over 10 per cent, probably getting closer to 15 per cent, of the nation's ventilator capacity. That's not to say that other jurisdictions might not catch up and put some more into the system, but I feel very capable, as a state that represents approximately 7 per cent of the nation's population, that we will have our capacity in place as the peak hits.