Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Australia's hospitals face a most testing time as the government lifts COVID-19 restrictions. The hope is that 80 per cent vaccination rates will keep the severe cases and hospitalisations low to avoid stretching our hospitals. The Doherty institute modelling predicts the biggest COVID-19 health challenge may come from a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Will our hospitals cope? Adelaide's major public hospitals regularly ramp ambulances, a sign of stress under ordinary circumstances.

On 1 October, Professor Brendan Murphy updated the non-national cabinet on our health system's ability to manage COVID-19 cases during phases B and C of the national plan to transition out of pandemic restrictions. The Prime Minister and the premiers and chief ministers received some 100 pages of data and analysis covering the ability of hospitals to cope with the likely surge. Is that information publicly available? No. In keeping with the PM's secrecy mantra, it's locked away. Imagine how informed this debate would be if we had access to that information. I've sought it under FOI, but I don't expect a positive response anytime soon.

Despite being told that the national cabinet is not a committee of the cabinet, the government are still claiming cabinet confidentiality in defiance of a ruling by a member of the federal judiciary. Is there a legitimate reason to withhold this data? No. It's to avoid embarrassment because the preparations should have been made months ago, and it hasn't been done. Again, it's too little too late.