Wednesday, 23 February 2022

Department of Premier and Cabinet

Report to Parliament on the Extension of a Pandemic Declaration

Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (17:25): I rise to speak on the Report to Parliament on the Extension of a Pandemic Declaration. This extension commenced on 12 January and is enforced until 12 April. I was interested to see that the acting chief health officer’s advice was dated 7 January. On that day we recorded our highest ever case number, which was 51 164 new cases in a single day. By the time the extension to the pandemic declaration was in force the numbers had already steadily declined to just over 34 000. I have to question if there would have been any changes to the advice if that had been revised, since we had already reached our peak.

The acting chief health officer also mentioned that the pathology system is a core pillar of the COVID-19 response. As we all know, it was already in trouble at that time. Within a week of his advice nearly 100 000 Victorians who lined up to get tested for COVID were told that they would not be given their results, leaving many not knowing if they had the virus. Had it not been for the national cabinet agreeing to fundamental changes to testing—moving to rapid antigen testing—we would still be in the situation of this government saying that PCR tests are the gold standard. And we would be sitting in this place now with—like what occurred at that particular time, according to this—the PCR tests not having been processed in time, and many Victorians would actually attest to being told that they will not get a result for their PCR test. The national cabinet agreed to this change, and the Premier announced it. The acting chief health officer in his report stated that Victoria ‘is seeking to improve access’—at that time—‘to rapid antigen tests through large-scale orders with suppliers’. It still took this government two more weeks to place an order.

But what is most concerning is the number of pandemic orders that were actually issued within that first month. There were 30 new pandemic orders, and some of those orders were these: orders that restricted visitors to hospitals and aged care—we understand that; orders regarding the wearing of masks; orders regarding mandatory vaccinations; orders regarding check-ins and QR codes; and orders still regarding border crossings. Instead of allowing adults to make their own informed choices—this government was not using the QR codes, and has not been, for contact tracing or tracking; nor were the borders shut—there were still these orders. Instead of allowing adults to make their own informed choices, this government continues to mandate. Instead of allowing businesses to make their own informed choices, this government continues to force mandates on Victorians and continues to treat Victorians with contempt and to belittle their intelligence to make their own health choices, to manage their own health. Recommend to wear a mask, do not mandate. I think after the last two years we all should know by now when we can or should or want to put a mask on in which particular settings around which vulnerable people. We do not need a mandate.

This government continues to take the rights and freedoms of all Victorians away, including their right to work and participate in normal life. This is because of your mandating and your orders. The Premier loves the power to call a pandemic. We are out of the pandemic; we are way out of the pandemic. These orders go until April. This Premier said in September he wished to mandate three vaccines; he said that in September. (Time expired)