Coronavirus

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:26): It is now three weeks exactly today since a shot was fired across the bow of the Eyre Peninsula community—a wake-up call, if you like, in the current COVID-19 crisis. As was reported at least in the local news at the time, a large group of nearly 200 mostly Eyre Peninsula grain growers gathered at the Rambler Football Club clubrooms in Cummins on 17 March to discuss various port proposals and how such a development might impact the local grain supply chain. Remember, this was three weeks ago, when the recommendation at the time was to limit gatherings to 500 people or fewer. The meeting certainly fitted within that category.

Most of the attendees came from Eyre Peninsula; however, there was a visitor, a federal politician, who made it his business to be at that meeting, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that because he is a senator for South Australia. But Senator Rex Patrick discovered towards the end of that meeting, during the afternoon, that he had been in contact with a work colleague, one Senator Bragg, who had tested positive to the coronavirus. That same visitor, Rex Patrick, announced some six days later following a subsequent swab test that he had also tested positive.

This resulted in all meeting attendees being directed by SA Health to go into self-isolation for the ensuing week. A small number of those who were at the meeting were deemed to be close contacts of Senator Patrick, and I think close contact was probably defined by the fact that we shared a microphone at that particular public meeting. In fact, I was chairing that meeting, so I was very much responsible for that part of the day.

All of us who were deemed to be close contacts of Senator Patrick were able to take a swab test at the newly opened Port Lincoln drive-through clinic, the results of which were to be available within about 48 hours. It is exactly two weeks ago now that I had a test. I took my leave of this place after the first day of sitting of that sitting week and drove home through the night, taking three hours' sleep on the outskirts of Whyalla on the way, keeping in mind that I was already officially in self-isolation.

Given that people had travelled from all over Eyre Peninsula to attend the meeting, and some at least had contact with the broader community during the subsequent period, it goes without saying that the whole of Eyre Peninsula was put into a bit of a spin. Fortunately, those who had undergone testing as a result of the meeting all returned a negative result. There was to be no spread of the virus from that meeting.

Obviously, the world has changed significantly since 17 March and such a meeting would not be allowed under the current government directives for gatherings and social activity, but the entire situation brought home to us all how much at risk we are of the spread of this highly transmissible virus no matter where we live. COVID-19 is now sweeping the world with devastating consequences, and that is why it is critical that we all listen and adhere to government directives in relation to travel and social distancing.

Certainly, with the upcoming Easter break, I know that many of our smaller country communities, particularly coastal communities around South Australia, are very much a destination for Easter holiday-makers. Obviously, we are asking people to consider that travel seriously, not undertake anything that is not essential travel and make this particular Easter break a time to stay at home and spend time amongst family.

I guess that my message in all of this is that we would do things differently now, but the world has changed. We escaped unscathed from that particular incident, but the message today—three weeks later—is that we need to take care, stay safe and stay apart.