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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-11-17 Daily Xml
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Coronavirus

Ms LUETHEN (King) (15:29): I rise today to speak about the Marshall Liberal government's determination and commitment to work with our community to keep South Australia safe and strong. Until this week, South Australia had been enjoying a successful recovery, coming out of the significant restrictions imposed at the beginning of the pandemic.

As a state, we have put up a strong fight against this disease, and it has been our community working together, adhering to restrictions and making sacrifices, that is the reason we have been able to experience such a positive response to the virus. If we continue to work together to prevent COVID-19 from getting into our community, that will be how we will get through this latest health threat.

This cluster is a reminder to all of us that we cannot be complacent about this highly contagious virus. As I have been out in the community lately, I have been reminding people who try to shake my hand that we must not get complacent. This virus is like a possible catastrophic bushfire: we need to work together and prepare our homes, keep our grass cut low and stay on top of the latest fire alerts to protect ourselves.

I understand people may be feeling nervous and disappointed right now. As a government, we are throwing absolutely everything at this situation to get on top of this cluster and to keep our community safe. The Premier today updated us that 100 per cent of people who have been requested to go into isolation and to get tested have complied—what a wonderful result.

Today, I will outline three important pieces of information for my local community. Firstly, stay on top of the latest information. We can all do that by reading the sa.gov.au COVID-19 website or by calling the COVID hotline on 1800 253 787. Secondly, the last thing we want is for any South Australian to make a choice between putting food on the table and protecting our community from a second wave. That is why in this budget we have made up to $1,500 available for each eligible person who may have been instructed to self-isolate or quarantine. Details of this scheme can be found on the sa.gov.au site under 'Financial support for individuals'.

The scheme is designed to further strengthen the state's fight against this pandemic and a potential second wave. Thirdly, as a reminder for our small businesses of the second round of cash grants available, this includes a $3,000 cash grant for eligible businesses that do not employ staff and are operating from a commercial premises and doing it tough. This information is also available on the treasury.sa.gov.au site.

We are committed to supporting South Australians through our state's COVID recovery. This can certainly be seen in the state budget. An extra $15.1 million will support the mental health of South Australians through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Marshall Liberal government has already boosted funding for mental health by almost $20 million since the 2018 election and spends 10 per cent more than the national average on mental health services.

Our government has responded to the biggest health challenge of our time by delivering a budget that is focused on protecting the physical and mental health of South Australians both now and into the future. To keep safe those who are keeping us safe, we are investing $93.1 million to enable South Australian company Detmold to manufacture 45 million masks. This is creating more jobs and means our frontline healthcare workers have the protection they need to safely provide South Australians with the care they need.

Health is a key issue raised by people in my electorate and that is why it remains a key issue for me to champion on behalf of people living in King. That is why, locally, great things are happening for people in the electorate of King. Modbury Hospital is undergoing redevelopment and this investment of $96.6 million is creating 160 local jobs per year.

At the Lyell McEwin Hospital, the building projects are underway, with an expansion and refurbishment of the emergency department to increase capacity and improve patient flow. This upgrade is creating 71 jobs per year and $58 million investing. We are building what matters and delivering better health services close to home for people living in King. We are committed to keeping our community safe and strong.

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