Coronavirus, Hotel Quarantine

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:20): My questions are to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding public health. My first question is: per recommendation 7 in your report and, like what exists currently in Victoria, will the minister require that all people working in our hotel quarantine program will be employed by or directly contracted by the state government? Secondly, will the minister also establish a dedicated agency with clear lines of accountability for hotel quarantine, and if not to either of those questions, why not?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:21): As I said in answer to an earlier question, the South Australian government and its agencies are working extremely collaboratively in the delivery of the medi-hotel initiative. We have continued to draw on the independent national audits and the Victorian review, and we are seeking the advice of the AHPPC. Some of the advice we are seeking from the AHPPC is on risk mitigation strategies that we have already announced. We are open to their feedback on those.

In relation to the honourable member's question, one of those risk mitigation strategies is that we have decided that staff working at the dedicated facility for positive COVID cases will not be deployed to another medi-hotel or high-risk environment, including aged-care facilities, correctional facilities and hospitals. In terms of the suggestion in the Victorian review in terms of a dedicated agency, as I said, we have sought the advice from AHPPC. We are looking forward to receiving that.