COVID-19
Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (12:06): My question is for the Minister for Health in the other place. What is the minister going to do to reverse the wrong and harmful health messaging and bring the community back together? Members of Parliament met with Professor Jay Bhattacharya on Monday. He is a professor from Stanford University and he explained the Denmark government is spending a lot of money at this time to reverse some of the damaging propaganda messaging that was wrong during the pandemic. The messaging is, ‘Take off your mask. Smile at your neighbours’. It is on all their bus stops. I am wanting to know: what is the health minister going to do to reverse some of the wrong messages so that we can spend Christmas together and we can remove the masks that are not working?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:07): I will pass the question on to the Minister for Health.
Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (12:07): I look forward to the minister’s response. When will the minister remove all the mandate requirements so all health workers can go back to work? It would seem that there are mixed messages at this particular time, and it is only the health minister that can reverse those messages, so hopefully our community will have a Christmas together not as a divided the community—the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. What is this government going to do to reverse the wrong health messages that they put in place to put fear into our community so that it can spend Christmas together?
Mr Gepp: On a point of order, President, I think I heard 18Â questions in that 47Â seconds. None of them made sense, by the way, but there were at least 18Â questions. The member would have been better off asking for a plane ticket over to Denmark.
The PRESIDENT: Dr Cumming, have you finished your question?
Dr CUMMING: I would like you to rule on the point of order. I take great offence at Mr Gepp, and I would like him to withdraw his remarks.
The PRESIDENT: I do not know what you are referring to, Dr Cumming. I did not hear any remarks that were insulting you. Can you please outline them.
Dr CUMMING: I take great offence that he, Mr Gepp, said that none of my questions made sense. He was disparaging.
Members interjecting.
The PRESIDENT: Order! All done? I think what Mr Gepp said is within parliamentary guidelines, so I do not think I should ask him to withdraw anything. Dr Cumming, I know you are asking your supplementary question, but you are mixing too many questions into one question. I ask you to finish your supplementary, please.
Dr CUMMING: Will the minister actually answer any of the questions that I have put to this Parliament, and where is the logic of why this health minister is continuing with the mandates?
Ms Pulford: On a point of order, President, I think it will be very difficult for the minister representing the health minister to work out which of those questions is the question that we are seeking an answer to, and I think Dr Cumming very much ignored your counsel to stick to the standing orders and come up with just one question.
The PRESIDENT: Thank you, but I will leave that to the minister.
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:10): Dr Cumming, your views on these matters are well known, and I am sure that the Minister for Health will be able to provide you some information on the questions that you have raised.