'You're wrong': Health minister fires up in tense Covid inquiry
Tensions have flared during a parliamentary inquiry investigating the NSW government’s response to the latest Covid-19 outbreak.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant have been probed on the lockdown in Greater Sydney and the health advice after the first case of the highly infectious Delta variant was detected on June 16.
Mr Hazzard lashed out at the committee when quizzed by Greens MP Cate Faerhmann about whether the NSW government acted too late.
“You’re completely wrong on that, and I can’t do much on that. I don’t know what the issue is here, if it’s a beat up on the government, well okay we’re here, but beat it up somewhere else will you, because Dr Chant’s really busy and I’m really busy,” he said.
“If you want to actually discuss the issues properly, we’re here to do it. We came (to the hearing) voluntarily; we didn’t have to be here. Just ask the questions, we’ll give you the answers.”
It was revealed the Berejiklian government was not aware of the extent of the outbreak stemming from a "superspreader" party in western Sydney when it waited ten days to implement a lockdown.
"It was the seeding event in western Sydney ... West Hoxton that wasn't recognised at the time," Dr Chant told the inquiry.
"It was thought that cluster had been identified very early but there were issues around containment of that, that weren't appreciated.
"Obviously with the benefit of hindsight, there are different decisions that can be made."
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Controversial decision to send HSC students back-to-school questioned
The government’s decision to send HSC students back to the classroom also sparked a heated exchange.
The controversial plan was dumped late last week amid the growing Covid outbreak.
Mr Hazzard accused the Chair, Greens MP David Shoebridge, of “politicising the crisis”.
Dr Chant instead provided a much calmer and carefully worded response when asked if she provided “specific health advice” that it would be safe for Year 12 students to return to the classroom on August 16.
She explained her advice sometimes needed to be balanced against other factors, such as mental health and wellbeing concerns.
Premier’s contradicting vaccination advice under the spotlight
Mr Hazzard has also been forced to explain why Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced restrictions could ease after 50 per cent of people were vaccinated, contrary to advice from the Doherty Institute.
"The Doherty Institute modelling shows 50 per cent, 60 per cent, or even 70 per cent levels of vaccine coverage would not allow for relaxed restrictions unless we're prepared for a massive uptake in hospital admissions and death," Ms Faehrmann said.
"Professor Doherty himself said if we open up at 50 per cent that would be insane."
Mr Hazzard claimed the Premier was trying to give the community a “sense of hope” and drive up vaccination rates.
Labor opposition frustrated at 'lack of transparency'
Mr Hazzard repeatedly reminded the committee throughout the hearing that the pair had volunteered their time and were not obliged to answer any questions.
"It would be the first time in history that in the middle of a war, a parliamentary committee called an inquiry to ask us how did you make your decisions," he said.
Labor’s Shadow Health Minister Ryan Park, whose calls for the health advice to be released were ignored, slammed Mr Hazzard’s attitude as “frustrating”.
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask with millions in lockdown that we hear a transparent response as to what advice the NSW government is using to try and manage this pandemic,” he said.
“All the NSW opposition has been asking for is transparency, not for us but for the millions of people who are locked down and are under very strict restrictions right across NSW and Greater Sydney.
Mr Shoebridge said the NSW government was less transparent than Victoria's after Premier Daniel Andrews was available "for the better part of a day" to answer questions.
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