Legislative Council Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2) 54 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Coronavirus Coronavirus The Hon. T.T. NGO Legislative Council Coronavirus The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:18): Yes. Can the minister tell the house whether SA Health supports the government decision in terms of banning or restricting people from China coming to Australia? The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council Minister for Health and Wellbeing Coronavirus The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:18): First of all, I would like to thank the Hon. Tung Ngo for the question because this is the first question of my understanding in either house or in the Budget and Finance Committee from Labor in relation to coronavirus. So I will now get on with answering the question. The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President: I don't understand the relevance whatsoever in the comments he is making to the question actually asked. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Your point of order I do not agree to. It's up to the minister to answer how he sees fit. Have a look at the standing orders. Minister. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: I would apologise to the house if it's rude to welcome a question. I thought it was polite to welcome a question; that's exactly what I did. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Minister, move on with your answer, please. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! Do you want to hear the answer? Please, minister. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ngo might like to hear the answer. Order! The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: If I could reframe the honourable member's question to make sure that I am answering it appropriately, I understood the honourable member to be asking me whether South Australian health authorities support the decision to deny entry to non-Australian citizens or residents coming from mainland China. I will reiterate what I said, I think in the answer to Hon. Connie Bonaros yesterday, which is that the South Australian government, including SA Health, is hand in glove as part of a national response to novel coronavirus. In that regard, as I said yesterday, there was a meeting of the AHPCC. It's a very senior group of clinicians. They provided advice. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: Let's be clear: SA Health's Chief Public Health Officer is a member of that committee. It was on the basis of that committee's advice— The Hon. K.J. Maher Legislative Council The Hon. K.J. Maher: They're laughing at you, Wadey. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: Actually, the Hon. Tung Ngo is on the edge of his seat waiting for an answer, and that's exactly what I'm giving him. Members interjecting: The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister finish his answer. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: I do find it interesting that there are members opposite— The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: —perhaps even in the leader's chair, who are heckling me, saying I can sit down now. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Minister! The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: That indicates how little regard— The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Minister, sit down. Point of order. What is your point of order? The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I shan't make the point of order. The minister obviously does not care for rules in this place and yells over points of order when they are supposed to be made. If that's the way the chamber is conducted now, fine. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Sit down. Have you finished your answer, minister? The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: No, I have not. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Please finish it. Please finish your answer. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: I will— The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Just finish your answer. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: —but I just make the point that the leader is yet again showing Labor's— The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: —disregard for coronavirus. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: What is your point of order? The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The minister was not even attempting to answer the question with the statement he was making. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Have you finished? Time having expired for asking questions without notice, pursuant to the order made yesterday I now call on members to make statements on matters of interest, the time allowed being 35 minutes, each member being allowed to speak for no longer than five minutes. I call the Hon. Mark Parnell.