A Nationals function at New South Wales parliament attended by dozens of politicians and staffers, including a minister who later tested positive for Covid-19, has raised questions about whether the state government is practising what it preaches.
The function was organised by the NSW Nationals’ head office and went ahead on Tuesday night despite an escalating Covid outbreak in Sydney’s east and warnings by the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, to avoid large social gatherings.
On Friday 18 June Berejiklian had implored people in Sydney’s east to avoid mass gatherings.
“We know the virus has the potential to have been circulating in eastern Sydney in particular.
“Unless you absolutely have to, our strong preference is that you do not engage in any activity,” she said.
Yet the Nationals’ budget night function went ahead and was attended by 60 to 70 people including several ministers and briefly by the premier herself.
Why would the NSW Nationals have gone ahead with a dinner for 70 people on Tuesday night? Wasn’t the advice to avoid social gatherings? #COVID19nsw
— Prof Kerryn Phelps AM (@drkerrynphelps) June 24, 2021
“Why would the NSW Nationals have gone ahead with a dinner for 70 people on Tuesday night? Wasn’t the advice to avoid social gatherings?” tweeted Dr Kerryn Phelps, a former independent federal MP.
The agriculture minister, Adam Marshall, who had been at the dinner, tested positive for Covid on Thursday. His diagnosis sent several MPs into isolation, including the health minister, Brad Hazzard, who later tested negative. The opposition leader, Chris Minns, has postponed his budget reply speech due to be delivered on Thursday.
Asked about the risk associated with the Nationals’ dinner, the University of NSW epidemiology professor Marylouise McLaws said it was “very risky”.
“I don’t know how big the room is but this Delta variant is 70-90% more infectious than the wild strain [the original strain].
“Having a dinner on Tuesday when we know the Delta strain is out there is irresponsible,” she said.
“While the NSW government’s rhetoric is serious, their actions are outside the rhetoric.
“I know NSW Health doesn’t like rapid lockdowns and instead they expect individuals to take responsibility and do the right thing, but I think NSW officials have to start taking actions that meet their levels of public anxiety.”
While NSW parliament complies with the official Covid rules – it has QR code scans and temperature checks to enter the building – inside it’s been business as usual despite the new outbreak in Sydney’s east.
Tuesday, when the state budget was handed down, was one of the busiest in NSW parliament. Corridors were packed with journalists, staff and parliamentarians.
People are reminded by signs to social distance but in the cramped old building which depends on lifts to move between floors, it can be difficult. There are no marshals.
During the morning, the NSW treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, briefed the Liberal and National party rooms before briefing journalists in the ministerial offices at Martin Place where they were in a lockup.
Perrottet’s budget speech went ahead at midday with a full contingent of MPs in the chamber, as did question time at 2.15pm.
The MPs had been spaced out through the Lower House, taking up the advisers’ gallery and the public area, but nonetheless there were at least 93 people in the cramped Victorian-era chamber.
And in keeping with the traditions of the “bear pit”, as NSW parliament is known, shouting and heckling were de rigueur. Few if any wore masks.
That night, the Nationals held their fundraiser in the Strangers dining room attended by 60 to 70 people including Marshall, who later discovered he contracted the virus at a pizza venue in Paddington on Monday night where he had dinner with three other Nationals colleagues.
Marshall has said he received a text about his possible exposure late on Tuesday night, had since isolated and was tested twice on Wednesday before returning a positive result on Thursday morning. The three other MPs at the Paddington dinner have tested negative.
While Marshall did what was required under the rules, questions are being asked about whether the NSW parliament is following the premier’s advice to take precautionary measures, such as avoiding large gatherings and working from home where possible.
At the time of the Nationals’ function on Tuesday the premier had just reintroduced mandatory mask wearing at indoor venues. The rule doesn’t apply to hospitality venues when people are eating and drinking.
It is unclear who decided to go ahead with the dinner. The NSW deputy premier, John Barilaro, who attended the function, said on Thursday it was “possibly” a super-spreader event. He’s already taken a test.
Staff who arrived at the building on Thursday were being told to wait for a result before going home.
Parliament House is now running on a skeleton contingent of MPs and staff are working from home.
Berejiklian said she had taken a test and received a negative result on Thursday morning, but will continue to follow the health department’s advice.
Her Thursday press conference was held outdoors and everyone wore masks when not speaking.
Marshall is in his 30s and is asymptomatic at this stage. He told the ABC he felt “miserable and lousy”.
“I am not worried about how it impacts on me, I am isolating for 14 days and hopefully I should be OK, but it is the down-the-line impact it has on everyone else,” he said.
“I would hate to think that someone else gets infected in the same way that I was infected at a close contact venue earlier this week,” he said.
