COVID-19 Response

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.A. Simms:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to monitor and scrutinise all matters relating to the management of the COVID-19 response including:

(a) government responses to outbreaks or emerging threats;

(b) public information campaigns;

(c) prevention and mitigation measures;

(d) implemented restrictions and safety measures;

(e) vaccination programs;

(f) infection testing;

(g) contact tracing;

(h) treatments;

(i) interactions with other jurisdictions;

(j) advice provided to the state government;

(k) impact on specific demographic groups;

(l) learnings from previous responses; and

(m) any other related matters.

2. That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.

(Continued from 22 March 2023.)

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (17:58): I rise on behalf of the government to support this motion and thank the joint committee for its work and its continued interest in exploring South Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Australia has never experienced an emergency event as complex and as lengthy as the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are undoubtedly learnings that could help determine how the state manages future emergencies.

Throughout the initial stages of the pandemic the then Labor opposition sought to work constructively with the government and public health officials to respond to the pandemic. The work undertaken by the South Australian government to keep South Australians safe throughout the pandemic has been instrumental in ensuring that we were able to respond to and manage the pandemic at its worst. Importantly, the South Australian government has assisted in providing testing, vaccination services and public health advice to our community when they needed it most.

As the pandemic has moved from an emergency phase to managing COVID-19 in our community, the approach being taken to minimise its impact on our state has changed too. Monitoring and management of the pandemic is being incorporated into the broader functions and responsibilities within public health and other areas of SA Health and as part of business continuity and management tools used across agencies and stakeholders to manage any infectious diseases. This change is drawing on the experience and expertise gained during the emergency response; however, a formal process has also begun that will ensure important lessons can be learned from the state's response to this emergency.

The Department for Health and Wellbeing is undertaking an important review of its response as the control agency for the period of the emergency declaration for COVID-19 from March 2020 to May 2022. This is a requirement of the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) for all emergencies, major incidents and disasters across the state. The independent reviewer will capture learnings from leaders involved in the decision-making during the declaration.

This was a whole-of-government approach and response with a whole-of-government community impact, and all agencies involved will also be looking at their roles in the response. The Health Control Agency Review will inform the whole-of-government process being coordinated by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet under the State Emergency Management Plan Lessons Management Framework.

The response has required the involvement of a range of agencies and stakeholders, such as GPs, pharmacists, retail, industry and SAPOL. Most importantly, this effort has been backed by our frontline healthcare workers across SA Health and public health experts. The Health Control Agency Review has very specific parameters under the framework to look at 10 responsibilities of the Control Agency, as defined by the State Emergency Management Plan. It will look at the challenges and innovations across the department's responses.

The motion to establish a select committee of the Legislative Council is supported to continue the work of the joint parliamentary committee established to look at the COVID-19 response. The range of matters outlined in the motion will look at some of the same issues that are being addressed in the process described recently and also in the Lessons Management Framework for a Control Agency, but from different perspectives. Any lessons we can learn that will assist how we respond in the future to any emergency, major incident or disaster are welcome and worth pursuing. I look forward to the outcome of the select committee's work.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (18:01): I will speak very briefly to this motion, which re-establishes a COVID-19 select committee from the Legislative Council. The Liberal Party will be supporting this particular proposal which, as we have heard from honourable members, had a significant role in analysing some of the matters in relation to the management of COVID-19. There are all sorts of superlatives that people could throw around about it being unprecedented and pandemics and a whole range of things, but certainly I do not think anybody anticipated what South Australia and the globe were to face when we first heard that there was an emerging virus that had the potential to cause a global pandemic.

Thankfully, we have sailed through this very well in South Australia, in no small part due to the leadership of the people who were known as the fab four, that being Premier Steven Marshall, health minister Stephen Wade, the police commissioner and Saint Nicola—

The Hon. R.A. Simms: Spurrier.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Spurrier. Thank you, I had a mental blank. I was thinking Centofanti. Nicolas—Saint Nicolas.

Public health advice was very strongly adhered to to ensure that the best available science was guiding decisions of the state government. Now that we are in the phase where vaccinations have been available for some time and we understand a lot of the behaviour of the virus, we have come through that. However, COVID is still with us. There are outbreaks of a larger number of infections from time to time. It got me last year, finally, but I note that the Hon. Ian Hunter has remained virus-free, due in no small part to his particular caution. Clearly, long COVID is one of the issues that is of huge concern in our community as people have extended impact from infection, and we are still in the learning phase.

I note that the mover of this motion, the Hon. Mr Simms, has stated that the focus of the committee is to look at outbreaks, emerging threats, public information campaigns, prevention and mitigation measures, vaccination, contact tracing, treatments, any advice provided to the state government, learnings from previous responses and other related matters. As a species we need to learn and adapt, and we constantly need to do our best to learn from recent experience so that we can manage any potential future threats. With those words, I indicate that we are supporting the motion to establish this committee.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (18:05): I want to thank all members for their contributions and for their support in establishing this committee. I have spoken previously about the genesis of the committee and the process leading up to the establishment of the joint parliamentary committee. One of the key recommendations that the parliamentary committee made was that there be an ongoing committee of the parliament to look at the implications of COVID outbreaks, to look at what we have done previously, but also to look at the response of government, so I am pleased to see that this committee will be reconstituted.

As someone who has had COVID-19 twice, I am very interested in seeing what we can do to try to stop the spread of this virus, as I know all members of parliament are.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Wear a mask.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I hear the Hon. Mr Hunter say, 'Wear a mask.' He is a great advocate for that and I should be inspired by his example. Obviously, we all have a responsibility to do what we can to try to eradicate this virus, and I am sure this committee will play an important role in terms of reviewing the government response. With that, I conclude my remarks and thank members for their support.

Motion carried.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I move:

That the select committee consist of the Hon. E.S. Bourke, the Hon. L.A. Henderson, the Hon. J.E. Hanson, the Hon. B.R. Hood and the mover.

Motion carried.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I move:

That the select committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place and report on 28 June 2023.

Motion carried.