Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] I'm making this statement from Caroline Springs in my electorate, the hotspot for the most recent COVID outbreak in Melbourne. As I had unwittingly visited a tier 2 site last week, an exposure site, I received a text—very efficiently—to get tested and isolate until I received a result. I'm happy to say and report to the House that that result was negative. Of course, the reason they could contact me so effectively is that I QR-coded the exposure site, as everyone must do to ensure we get out of this pandemic as soon as possible.

I want to thank my constituents for coming out in very large numbers to be tested, and thank the Victorian government for increasing the testing sites in this area, which has reduced the time that people have to wait to get tested. The new testing sites are Caroline Springs Leisure Centre, City Vista Sports Precinct in Fraser Rise and 4Cyte Pathology in Sydenham—new sites for people to attend rather than having a long wait. I'm also pleased that Australia's first drive-through vaccination site is in my electorate, in Melton, on the old Bunnings site on Barries Road.

If you have been to a tier 1 or tier 2 site, get tested. If you have yet to be vaccinated, please make an appointment and get vaccinated. It is through these actions that we'll be moving out of the pandemic as soon as we possibly can, as we must.