COVID-19 LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (STRONGER COMMUNITIES AND HEALTH) BILL 2021

Second Reading Debate

Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown) (12:30): As the shadow Attorney General indicated, the Opposition will support the COVID-19 Legislation Amendment (Stronger Communities and Health) Bill 2021. Over the past year the COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges. Our communities have had to adapt to whole new ways of learning, socialising, doing business and staying well. I note that this bill does not propose any new emergency measures. Instead, it will extend certain emergency measures already implemented in response to the pandemic until September this year, with an option of a further six-month extension by regulation should that be required. The bill will also make some minor amendments to various other unrelated pieces of legislation to correct some drafting errors.

In these turbulent times we cannot know the future. Our systems need to be prepared to cope with any eventuality. It has been some time since the last major outbreak in New South Wales, but experiences at the beginning of this year and in recent days emphasise that COVID-19 poses an ongoing public health risk. Our government agencies and services need to have the ability to properly respond to any new cluster as necessary. With new and highly transmissible strains appearing around the world, we cannot risk another debacle like theRuby Princess. Through Australia in general, and New South Wales in particular, we have fared well throughout the crisis when compared with other countries. The damage done by the pandemic will take a long time to address and heal, but so much of our success is owed to our fantastic frontline health workers and public service. Their dedication, innovation and commitment to keeping our State healthy has been instrumental and will continue to be so. The willingness of ordinary people to stay home, to sacrifice, to follow the guidelines set out by NSW Health and to take responsibility for themselves, their friends and their family is to be applauded.

Our State's continued good health and success would not have been possible without everybody pitching in. In the Charlestown electorate, local entrepreneurs and innovators pivoted to address the needs of the pandemic. Restaurants and cafes started offering take-out or delivery, businesses shifted to working online and clothing stores started manufacturing and selling masks. Local inventors even developed and manufactured a prototype ventilator to help increase stock should we in New South Wales face a situation similar to New York, Milan or London and an overwhelming demand might threaten to force our doctors to ration health care. Every day residents of the Charlestown electorate stepped up too by supporting those in quarantine, checking in on elderly neighbours, helping friends and loved ones and often even strangers to survive and flourish in trying times. I am so proud of my electorate for the way we have faced and overcome the challenges of COVID-19 together.

I am so proud of this State's committed and professional public servants, especially our frontline workers, who did so much to keep us safe. They include teachers, who had to pivot to online learning with next to no warning and far too little support; hospital workers, who kept showing up to work despite the potential danger; our emergency services personnel, whose lifesaving work cannot be done remotely; our early childhood educators, who kept the doors of their centres open to ensure that parents could keep working; and retail workers, who have often been looked down upon but who proved absolutely essential in the midst of this crisis. Many of them copped abuse from frightened and agitated shoppers, but they still stocked shelves, got food into our pantries and made sure that everyone got the toilet paper they needed. Without all of those people pitching in and doing their part no amount of legislation or regulation could have kept our State functioning. They deserve our appreciation and support, and to have their wages and rights at work protected.

I have some concerns about the current situation. We all know that it has been a difficult time for many. The economic impacts of lockdown and the recession will be felt for years to come. Inequalities have been exacerbated and disadvantage entrenched. Opportunities lost and dreams deferred will have knock‑on effects for a generation of young people. In his second reading speech the Attorney General expressed thanks for the trust the Parliament has placed in the Government to navigate through the pandemic. In times of genuine crisis I think all of us in this place are able to put aside party affiliations and political ambition to focus on the good of our State, and we have generally seen that over the past year regarding COVID. This Parliament must not be treated as a rubber stamp for the decisions of the Executive, nor should the pandemic be used to shield Government Ministers and backbenchers from needed scrutiny.

We are elected to this place by our constituents to represent their interests at all times. This can and must include holding the Government to account, even during times of crisis. In our parliamentary democracy nothing, not a natural disaster or a global pandemic, can be allowed to stand in the way of accountability. Last year the Government was struck by an avalanche of controversies, most particularly the catastrophic revelations of corporate malfeasance and wage theft at icare. At the height of that controversy, with new revelations about mismanagement and political interference coming every day, the Government refused to recall Parliament to answer questions. At the time we were told that there was nothing the Government needed Parliament's approval for. This is a despicable attitude.

I say again: We in this place are not a rubber stamp for the Premier and her Cabinet. We are not here to allow bad Government actions to pass by without appropriate scrutiny—from icare to ICAC hearings, to dodgy deals by backbenchers and questionable ministerial ethics. Our job as elected members of the New South Wales Parliament is to hold the Government to account. Yes, in times of crisis we hope that the Government can indeed be trusted to do what is right for our State, but with that trust comes an expectation of accountability, transparency and honesty. The Government—with some notable exceptions—handled the pandemic as well as can be expected. However, the trust we as MPs and the public at large have invested in the Government has been tested again and again in recent times.

We must have the capacity to return to the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic, whatever they might be. I implore the Government to stop using the pandemic and the trust of the public as a shield from much‑needed scrutiny. I once again thank the many workers who kept our State functioning during this crisis. I extend my thanks to New South Wales government agencies and their hardworking staff for adjusting to the demands of COVID. Without them and the perseverance and adaptability of every person in this State, we would not be where we are now. I support the bill.

This speech was part of a debate on the COVID-19 Legislation Amendment (Stronger Communities and Health) Bill 2021, which you can learn more about here. You can read the rest of the debate on Hansard.