COVID-19 Hospital Response

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (15:28): Further supplementary: how many of the promised COVID-ready beds will be opened by the start of December when our borders are then open?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:28): I don't know what news channel the honourable member is listening to but the announcement of the Premier was that it will be opened on 23 November. This is what I—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will remain silent.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The opposition is taking the opportunity, quite gratuitously, to demonstrate their ignorance of public health. The government—

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: How many will be open?

The PRESIDENT: I would like to hear the minister, not repeated questions when the person who has actually asked a supplementary is asking it again by way of interjection.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The honourable member and, for that matter, the opposition generally is taking the opportunity to display their ignorance on public health. The reality is, if we open our borders on 23 November we do not need 392 beds on 24 November. Let me tell you some facts. On 16 June, New South Wales experienced the start of—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Ms Bourke!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —its outbreak. If the Labor Party doesn't want to hear the cold, hard facts, they should stop asking me questions.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: So the reality is there will be a significant period—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: No, the Leader of the Opposition should not be having a conversation with his backbench.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Wortley!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Let me reiterate—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: We are going to move to the next question fairly soon, but I would like you to continue.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I think, Mr President, I have a right to put my case.

The PRESIDENT: You do.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I don't have the right—

The PRESIDENT: I would like you to continue.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —to have a disorderly opposition shouting me down on every occasion.

The PRESIDENT: I would like you to continue.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Thank you, Mr President. On the point, we do not need all of our hospital bed capacity to be available on 24 November. The reality is that when there is seeding—and, God willing, the seeding will continue to be quashed so that we don't face increased pressure on our hospital system. Let's see what happens in New South Wales. New South Wales experienced the start of their outbreak on 16 June. Their peak in terms of cases wasn't for another 56 days—the middle of September. Their hospitalisation peak was 66 days later.

The constant advice I have been getting from Professor Nicola Spurrier—and if the opposition wants to challenge her, go for it—the consistent advice I have been getting from Nicola Spurrier is that we need to make sure that we've got hospital capacity available, we need to make sure there is hospital capacity available over time. The reality is we do not need 392 beds on 24 November.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Simms has the call.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: I've got a supplementary, Mr President.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley: The Hon. Ms Bonaros has been waiting. She's jumped up twice.

The PRESIDENT: Well, you're not up here; you're down there. I'm calling the Hon. Mr Simms. I saw the Hon. Mr Simms. That's where I'm going. The Hon. Mr Simms.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I am happy to defer to the honourable member. She was trying to—

The PRESIDENT: Okay, well I will go to the Hon. Ms Bonaros for a supplementary, I presume.