Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (14:41): How is it that the most vulnerable patients in Victoria are put at risk because this government, this Minister for Health and this chief health officer have an ideological and irrational objection to rapid antigen testing? My week-old grandson is being treated by some of the finest healthcare professionals in Australia in one of Australia’s most highly regarded, world-renowned hospitals, the Royal Children’s Hospital, in the neonatal intensive care unit. Their expert care is beyond par, yet these critically ill children and their carers are being put at risk for lack of the simple, practical rapid antigen testing option to add to their arsenal of every other safety protocol being employed. This government has had months, if not a year, to roll this out in health care—at least in health care. If this government is genuinely interested in reducing the virus spread, rapid antigen testing should be utilised at every opportunity. The coalition have been calling for its introduction for several months, and the rest of the world have embraced it as a vital tool against COVID-19 since its inception. Why are we so far behind the eight ball in Victoria and why are we making it even harder for our healthcare workers?