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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-06 Daily Xml
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Coronavirus

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:10): Thank you, Mr President, for the call—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President: did you make a ruling that that was not a proper supplementary?

The PRESIDENT: The minister has chosen not to answer the question; we move on. The Hon. Ms Lee.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: I seek leave to make a brief explanation—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Lee, please sit down.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Point of order: the honourable minister mentioned that 'You're a joke,' I think he said, referring to the Hon. Ms Pnevmatikos. I think he should withdraw that. The Hon. Ms Pnevmatikos is not a joke; she was asking a very important question and to have the minister reflect on her in that way is totally unacceptable.

The PRESIDENT: I am sure the minister meant no offence. The Hon. Ms Lee.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, you are wasting your own time. We are not moving on until there is some silence.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Yes, sir?

The PRESIDENT: Silence.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: No, sir. He's a pathetic minister and we deserve an answer.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, I am asking you politely one more time to be silent. The Hon. Ms Lee.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing about the important issue of coronavirus.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: As Assistant Minister to the Premier, with direct responsibility for multicultural affairs, I have been very concerned about the outbreak of novel coronavirus and very much involved in facilitating communication and dialogue between the Chinese community and the South Australian government. Can the minister please update the council on the South Australian government response to novel coronavirus?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:12): I thank the honourable member for her question. In particular, I want to thank the assistant minister for multicultural affairs for her leadership in liaising with the Chinese community in South Australia, providing reassurance to that community and advice to the government and to me as minister. The novel coronavirus is a significant public health event and has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization.

The virus must be taken seriously. South Australians can be assured that the Marshall Liberal government is taking it very seriously. We are working closely with other Australian governments and the Chief Public Health Officer. Her colleagues and I have been in regular contact with our respective colleagues at state, territory and federal level to develop and coordinate a national response to the novel coronavirus.

The government has engaged the medical community and leaders of the Chinese community in South Australia. Last week, I convened an information session for representatives from the medical community, the universities and the Chinese community to enable the Chief Public Health Officer to provide an update on the spread of the virus and the state and national response.

I was pleased to attend the Lunar New Year festival in Chinatown this past Saturday, at which SA Health provided an information booth. The Chief Public Health Officer has been meeting regularly with Chinese doctors and the Australian Chinese Medical Association to work with them to maximise the distribution of health information and services to the Chinese community. I particularly thank Dr Chris Moy, the South Australian president of the AMA; Dr William Tam, immediate past president of the AMA; Dr Jane Zhang, AMA South Australia councillor; and Dr Kien Ha, president of the South Australian branch of the Australian Chinese Medical Association. Their work in coordinating the response across the Chinese community has been invaluable, allowing SA Health to connect with the Chinese medical practitioners.

Dr Chris Moy has said that the general response from the Chinese community has been well beyond that which could have been expected and has been extremely helpful in getting ahead of the novel coronavirus. This response has included early advice within the community to self-isolate and the dissemination of information through the community. SA Health has worked closely with representatives of the Chinese community to provide this information in Chinese language. Social media posts are being provided in Chinese language. Posters have been made available for medical practices and emergency departments.

I want to commend the Chinese community for their response and cooperation with health authorities. The support of the community is fundamental to maximising the public health response and protecting South Australians from the virus. Any negative reaction towards the Chinese community can only undermine an effective public health response.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Pangallo, you have a supplementary?

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