Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am bitterly, bitterly disappointed by the actions of Labor today in politicising a family's grief, politicising a community's angst and prioritising blame over solutions—which is exactly what they have accused us of doing, but this is what they are doing. I want to put some of the issues raised today in a bit of perspective, including this idea that once delta reached our shores it was still entirely possible to keep it out of our communities. As Senator Lines just said, there was a case of a truck driver, an essential worker with all the right permits, who travelled to Western Australia and, yes, it was then discovered he had COVID.

I want to commend all of the businesses, all of the roadhouses and all of the family businesses across the nation who have in place their COVID-safe plans, because the truth is that the delta variant is causing significant concern right across the world. No country has managed to contain a significant delta outbreak. In fact, we saw in the UK that, even though they had record high vaccination rates, when delta hit their shores, they went back into various stages of restrictions and lockdowns to try and deal with it. It is undeniable that the infectious nature of the delta variant is a significant factor in the situation we're seeing before us not only in regional New South Wales but also in regional Victoria and in Sydney and Melbourne.

I'm not for a moment trying to deny the problems faced by the people of Wilcannia and other communities. But we have been working and will continue to work with our Indigenous communities to find solutions. In fact, in March last year, in the very early stages of the pandemic and before any lockdown, we set up the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group, with Indigenous peoples, because—as is quite rightly said to us all the time—'Don't be the white people telling the Indigenous people what to do; listen to the Indigenous people.' And that's what our government has sought to do.

In late March last year that advisory group had developed a management plan. Indeed, the Maari Ma clinic, which Senator Lines was talking about, from May last year were a recognised GP respiratory clinic doing great work with their people in Wilcannia. From March this year they have transitioned to being a Commonwealth vaccination centre, giving out the AstraZeneca vaccine, and from June this year they've been able to give the Pfizer vaccine. I thank them for what they're doing in their community for their people. But we are also doing other things, because it is not a simple solution. In dealing with COVID there is not a simple solution. We need to take a holistic approach.

I'd like to address some of the other outlandish suggestions by those opposite. I want to draw to Senator Lines's attention and to Labor's attention comments by the first assistant secretary of the vaccine task force during his presentation to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 on 23 July this year, in response to questions that I asked—because I have been asking, through that committee, ever since its establishment: 'Are we rolling out vaccines in regional areas? Are we looking after our Indigenous people?' I've been asking those questions—more so than those opposite. The answer I got was that every aspect of the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout has been done in partnership with the Aboriginal health sector. But don't just take my word for it. Let's look at the—

Senator McAllister interjecting—

Working with them, thank you, Senator McAllister. We did; we worked with them. We asked them. But let's look at the figures. In Australia, over 200,000 Indigenous Australians have now had their first dose. Over 108,000 are now fully vaccinated, which is over 20 per cent of the Indigenous population. Is that the same rate as that of the rest of the nation? No. But it is certainly a lot further than those opposite would have you believe. In relation to western New South Wales, an additional 600 doses of Pfizer have been reallocated to the Dubbo Shire, and an additional 600 doses have been reallocated to the Dubbo Regional Aboriginal Health Service. More broadly, our government is working with 2,645 primary care sites in regional Australia, including over 1,500 general practitioners, nearly 1,000 community pharmacies and 27 Aboriginal controlled healthcare providers, and, of course, our wonderful Royal Flying Doctor Service have set up 182 flying doctor service sites.

While I'm talking about the flying doctors—because they are one of my favourite organisations—it may be pertinent to repeat an anecdote that was provided by Minister David Gillespie during question time today. He told the story of RFDS nurse Kellyann Johnson, an Aboriginal woman with family from Jervis Bay, who is now with the flying doctors, providing vaccinations to residents in Wreck Bay, another Commonwealth territory. Yesterday Kellyann vaccinated both the youngest and the oldest Aboriginal resident in that population 'and everywhere in between,' she says. Kellyann has been a real inspiration to her community and, following her community engagement, is considered a local hero. As one Indigenous leader said, 'Some of the kids now want to be RFDS nurses.' I would strongly encourage them to follow that gallant career path.

So I want to thank not only Kellyann but all of our flying doctor nurses, and the doctors, and the pilots who facilitate getting them out there, and their logistics crew and ground crew. Thank you for the work you've been doing—because they have not just been vaccinating. They have also been providing medical evacuations. They've been providing the personal protective equipment deliveries into our regional and remote communities—and they are the ones who are going into the Kimberley and the Pilbara—that Senator Lines thinks our government was giving to community pharmacies. We know our geography. We know regional Australia, and we know how to service them.

Back to western New South Wales: following the current outbreak that leaked out of Sydney, there are currently 690 cases, and, yes, it is very sad that there has now been a death. An Aboriginal man in his early 50s, who was positive to COVID, has passed away, and my condolences go to his family, and I apologise that this place has chosen to take advantage of your grief for cheap political shots.

In western New South Wales, we have a multi-agency, multigovernment approach to vaccinating our regional and remote population. We are currently working with the state government and the Aboriginal health services. We've got over 100 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed. We're using the Royal Flying Doctor Service. We're using the on-the-ground GPs and pharmacists, who people trust and know and feel confident to go to. I am receiving feedback from those in these areas about how relieved they are to see these people and to hear the messages.

And yes, it is true: communications—we have been rolling out communications. But have we always got the message right? Not necessarily. But I thank the elders that have stepped up to encourage their communities. I thank Riverbank Frank and I thank the other Aboriginal elders who are strongly advocating amongst their populations for people to roll up their sleeves. And I implore Labor to come back to the bipartisan position we had. (Time expired)