Coronavirus, Travel

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:36): Supplementary arising from the original answer: to be very specific, minister, have you actually been inquisitive enough to ask your department whether this was an isolated incident and whether there were any other exemptions approved outside the exemptions committee?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:36): The mountain of correspondence that I deal with as minister—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! It would be good to listen to the answer.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister has hardly started his answer—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Leader of the Opposition is out of order. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: As I was trying to say, Mr President, I receive a mountain of correspondence, and every piece of correspondence is an opportunity to make sure that my department is delivering on top quality service to the people of South Australia. Often—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order: it was a very specific supplementary question—

The PRESIDENT: Point of order. The minister will resume his seat.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Sit down, Wadey. It was a very—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I can't hear the point of order.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: It was a very specific supplementary, as we are endeavouring to be very specific in relation to answers given, and the answer has not even touched upon the question.

The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order but I am sure the minister is coming to the pertinence of the question.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The pertinence of raising my correspondence is that every piece of correspondence is an opportunity to test the quality of service that we are providing to South Australians. I can assure you—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: When did you ask? When did you ask for that information?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter is out of order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —that my office, my team and myself are in constant discussions with our department on how we can do better. And let's be clear—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You've never asked.

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: We are well into a pandemic and SA Health—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Excuse me, could I be given the opportunity to answer?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon Ms Bourke! Members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition will have the opportunity to ask some supplementaries and further questions, but let's listen to the minister. The minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I have had constant discussions with the department on how we can improve our processes, and one example—I couldn't date it as to when it occurred, but one example was in recent months: SA Health established a review process, which Mr Hunter identified in his review. It wasn't there four or five months ago; it's there now. People who get a result from the exemptions committee will have the opportunity to have it reviewed. Mr Hunter's recommendation in relation to that is that it should not be called an appeal, it should be called an internal review. That recommendation has been accepted, but as—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Ms Bourke! I am trying to hear the minister and I am sure you can't because you're commenting—shouting—across the chamber. All of those interjections are out of order, and I am sure the minister is about to conclude his answer.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Yes or no?

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: So, yes, Mr Hunter, I have been constantly talking to my department about how to improve our processes.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! A supplementary.