COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:41): My question is to the Premier. Will state government hospital COVID clinics be available for phase 1b elderly residents in areas such as Port Lincoln and Mount Gambier where there are no GPs so far being provided with vaccines within a three-hour drive?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:41): I could just refer the member to my previous answer, but I am happy to extrapolate because I ran out of time last time. As I pointed out in my last answer, there are almost 300 GP clinics that have been approved by the commonwealth; 84 have been announced for the first week, which is next week. What we will see after that is further coverage across the state filling in those gaps so that people aren't driving extended periods when we can make sure that that isn't the case.

In the first few days, I think that there have been some anxious people who want to make sure they get their dose straightaway. I think that has put unnecessary pressure onto some of our GP clinics in South Australia.

Mr Picton: You've heard about it now, have you?

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think that the words of the AMA president were quite sage on this: 'It's not a Taylor Swift concert ticket.' We can remain calm and—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Playford!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —I think we've got to remember in South Australia that, although there are some people in South Australia who want to talk down what is happening with regard to our response to COVID-19, we have done extraordinarily well. That has meant that the vaccination program is not so crucial as to have life-threatening implications if it's not rolled out immediately, like it is in many other parts of the world.

There are so many parts of the world that are desperate to get the vaccine rolled out because they know that if they don't it is going to have serious implications in terms of the loss of life. That isn't the case in Australia. Australia has done extraordinarily well in terms of how it has coped with the COVID-19 pandemic so far. We have done particularly well here in South Australia. We did very well in terms of our testing rates.

I think every South Australian can feel very proud that we have contributed to at least amongst the highest, if not the highest, per capita testing rate in the entire country. That is something every South Australian can be proud of. They were asked by the Chief Public Health Officer, 'If you develop any symptoms, don't go to work, isolate yourself, go and get yourself tested,' and that's exactly and precisely what happened.

We saw exactly the same attention to the suggestions from the Chief Public Health Officer with regard to the use of QR codes. I think I have spoken in this parliament before about the extraordinary number of people who now have the COVIDSafe app on their phone. When they go into a premises that displays that QR code on the front door, they are making sure they are logging in, and I think that's great.

It all demonstrates that we have a sophisticated approach to the coronavirus pandemic and that we can work together to make sure that we keep ourselves in the enviable position that we currently find ourselves in. The vaccination program is of course the next phase, and this is a very important phase. We don't have large numbers of our population in South Australia who have had the disease and developed an immunity to it like they have in other parts of the world, so we are going to be reliant on this vaccine.

It has been, I think, a careful start to this program. There are bound to be some bumps along the way, but I know that the people of South Australia will continue to put the best interests of the whole state first and foremost and continue to work with our health officials, our police and our government to make sure that we keep South Australia in this current position.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Colton, I call to order the member for Wright and I warn for a second time the member for Playford. The member for Lee will leave for 20 minutes in accordance with standing order 137A. I warn for a second time the member for West Torrens.

The honourable member for Lee having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The member for Colton.