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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-03-03 Daily Xml
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Coronavirus

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. What assurance can the Minister for Health give to South Australians that all necessary medicines, supplies and equipment have been stockpiled to ensure the operation of our health system in the event of a potential coronavirus pandemic?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:34): I must say I find it rather galling that the opposition should ask me to give assurances to the people of South Australia. They are asking me to give assurances in terms of the work being done by our public health team. This is the opposition that, in the early stages of this outbreak in South Australia, was basically accusing that SA public health team of withholding information, not telling the people of South Australia information that they needed to stay healthy. How dare you!

This state, this nation, this world faces a significant viral threat. The last thing we need is politician commentators telling public health clinicians how to do their job. Then, they had the audacity last week to call a pathology business manager to a parliamentary committee and start asking him clinical questions on a pandemic plan and therefore undermine the public's confidence that SA Pathology was ready. Later that day, the Chief Public Health Officer and the clinical director of SA Pathology had to go out and provide reassurance.

So I think you have got a gall coming into this parliament asking me to provide reassurance when your party keeps playing political games to undermine the trust of South Australians in public health services. You have a gall!

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