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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-04-08 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Coronavirus, Kangaroo Island

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:02): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier follow the lead of the Queensland government, which has banned travel to three of its significant tourist islands, and now lock down Kangaroo Island?

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I was not going to uphold your point of order, if there was one.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:02): I'm happy to answer this question and provide some explanation of the situation that we have in South Australia. I don't really want to reflect on decisions that are made in other jurisdictions. I note that there are some decisions in Queensland, and also one in Western Australia with regard to Rottnest Island, where I think they are doing some of their quarantining work and so they have put a ban on people travelling there.

Each jurisdiction really needs to make their own decisions based upon the advice that they receive, and the advice in South Australia is very clear. We have sought that advice because there have been issues and concerns raised right across regional South Australia—very legitimate concerns, quite frankly, because people are very concerned about the coronavirus and the effects that large numbers of people visiting those regions could have on the finite health resources that they have in those areas.

We consulted with experts in South Australia, and their position was very clear to us that they would not be advocating for a ban on travel to Kangaroo Island. They wouldn't be advocating a ban for travel to Eyre Peninsula, to Yorke Peninsula, to Robe and to other areas. You would note that some time ago, when there was a cluster that broke out in the Barossa Valley, the Chief Public Health Officer moved very quickly to, if you like, significantly reduce travel in and out of the Barossa. This is something that received some national attention. This was perfectly legitimate in that situation.

I know that there have been some concerns, and I am very grateful to many people on the island who have made contact with me. We have been able to talk through the issues associated with bans on travel to and from the island. In particular, I have spoken to I think three of the GPs, the head of the local tourism agency or group on Kangaroo Island, people who run tourist venues and facilities and properties on the island, as well, as elected members of the local council of course.

There is a genuine concern there, but there is also an understanding that there are implications for a travel ban to Kangaroo Island. The ban was put in place; it is not a ban that is put in place for two or three weeks. Of course, it would be rendered completely ineffective unless members from the island who were travelling to Victor Harbor, for example, to get a prescription filled on their glasses were prepared to have a 14-day self-isolation on the other side.

I know that there are plenty of people who said, 'Yes, actually, we would do that. We would definitely do that,' but it's not enough to say that we've got a group of people that would be prepared to do it: you need to have a blanket ban on all people on the island. This would actually include people who were going over for the fire recovery because, of course, anybody coming to or from Adelaide could potentially bring coronavirus to the island.

The member would be aware that we now have a case of somebody who has contracted the virus—I think two cases, potentially—on Kangaroo Island. This was contracted from interstate travel and then brought back to South Australia. My understanding is they followed all of the protocols and practices that have been put in place. We have closed off South Australia to overseas travel and so people returning; that's one big cohort taken out. We have closed off travel for people coming from interstate.

We have a very, very low level of community transmission in South Australia and I am sure this was uppermost in the minds of those people ultimately making the decision that they would not proceed with a ban on any designated area in South Australia except for when a cluster does appear.

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