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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. T.T. NGO (15:18): Yes. Can the minister tell the house whether SA Health supports the government decision in terms of banning or restricting people from China coming to Australia?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:18): First of all, I would like to thank the Hon. Tung Ngo for the question because this is the first question of my understanding in either house or in the Budget and Finance Committee from Labor in relation to coronavirus. So I will now get on with answering the question.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President: I don't understand the relevance whatsoever in the comments he is making to the question actually asked.

The PRESIDENT: Your point of order I do not agree to. It's up to the minister to answer how he sees fit. Have a look at the standing orders. Minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I would apologise to the house if it's rude to welcome a question. I thought it was polite to welcome a question; that's exactly what I did.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, move on with your answer, please.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Do you want to hear the answer? Please, minister.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ngo might like to hear the answer. Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: If I could reframe the honourable member's question to make sure that I am answering it appropriately, I understood the honourable member to be asking me whether South Australian health authorities support the decision to deny entry to non-Australian citizens or residents coming from mainland China. I will reiterate what I said, I think in the answer to Hon. Connie Bonaros yesterday, which is that the South Australian government, including SA Health, is hand in glove as part of a national response to novel coronavirus. In that regard, as I said yesterday, there was a meeting of the AHPCC. It's a very senior group of clinicians. They provided advice.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Let's be clear: SA Health's Chief Public Health Officer is a member of that committee. It was on the basis of that committee's advice—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: They're laughing at you, Wadey.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Actually, the Hon. Tung Ngo is on the edge of his seat waiting for an answer, and that's exactly what I'm giving him.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister finish his answer.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I do find it interesting that there are members opposite—

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —perhaps even in the leader's chair, who are heckling me, saying I can sit down now.

The PRESIDENT: Minister!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: That indicates how little regard—

The PRESIDENT: Minister, sit down. Point of order. What is your point of order?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I shan't make the point of order. The minister obviously does not care for rules in this place and yells over points of order when they are supposed to be made. If that's the way the chamber is conducted now, fine.

The PRESIDENT: Sit down. Have you finished your answer, minister?

The Hon. S.G. WADE: No, I have not.

The PRESIDENT: Please finish it. Please finish your answer.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I will—

The PRESIDENT: Just finish your answer.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —but I just make the point that the leader is yet again showing Labor's—

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —disregard for coronavirus.

The PRESIDENT: What is your point of order?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The minister was not even attempting to answer the question with the statement he was making.

The PRESIDENT: Have you finished? Time having expired for asking questions without notice, pursuant to the order made yesterday I now call on members to make statements on matters of interest, the time allowed being 35 minutes, each member being allowed to speak for no longer than five minutes. I call the Hon. Mark Parnell.

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