Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-03 Daily Xml

Contents

Medical Facilities

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:13): Supplementary arising from the answer: is the minister able to outline generally what the nature of the health advice was that advised that an old hospital site was less appropriate than one floor of a city hotel as a standalone facility?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:14): I don't know what the honourable member is suggesting. Nobody is suggesting we should use a single floor of a city hotel. At this stage, we are using two floors of a city hotel. My understanding is there are two people there.

If the honourable member is wanting to mock the government's program, this is a public health-driven response. It is very much within the values of SA Health. In other words, it delivers a public health safe environment—the safest we can make it—but also in a way that supports the wellness of the guests.

I have had discussions with members of this house in relation to the challenge of isolation. I have friends who have been through the process. It is not an easy process, and this is not a punitive one. We do not want people who, for all sorts of circumstances, find themselves needing to be in a medi-hotel for two weeks to experience a punitive experience. We want them to be safe themselves personally, but also for those who work with them in terms of nurses, security and hotel staff to be safe. Of course, the whole point is that we can both isolate people from within Australia, isolate people who are coming back into Australia and keep the community safe.