Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Earlier today, by way of interjection, I was asked, 'What medical journals do you read?' This slur was because I have simply argued that we should take a second opinion on the dictate of state health bureaucrats that have taken away the freedom for COVID-infected Australians to have their doctors prescribe them hydroxychloroquine if their doctor thinks it might save their life. Yesterday, I actually read the medical journal European Journal of Internal Medicine. It may interest the House to know that the lead author of this study, a Dr Augusto Di Castelnuovo, looked at 3,451 COVID infected patients in 33 clinics in Italy. What was his conclusion? Hydroxychloroquine was associated with a 30 per cent lower risk of death in COVID hospitalised patients—a 30 per cent lower risk of death. Yet this morning, we had the shadow health minister of this country use parliamentary privilege to attack learned medical professors and doctors with his ignorance. Are they implying that Dr Castelnuovo and the European Journal of Internal Medicine are spreading conspiracy theories? Is that what you're implying?

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