Greens spokesperson for Community Services Hon Alison Xamon MLC has called on the Government to ensure that community workers caring for vulnerable people have immediate access to personal protective equipment (PPE) as the country grapples with the coronavirus crisis.
Hon Xamon said she was very concerned at reports that employees providing essential personal care supports to seniors and people with disability were not being given access to masks, gloves and other PPE.
Greens spokesperson for Education Hon Alison Xamon MLC has backed the State School Teachers Union of WA, calling on the WA Government to take immediate action to close WA public schools to the majority of students.
Hon Xamon said it was not known how many students already had COVID-19 – or what the overall rate of infection was, because testing regimes continued to exclude those not showing symptoms.
Greens spokesperson for Corrective Services and Health Hon Alison Xamon MLC has called on the Government to ensure its plan to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic extends to the state’s overcrowded prisons.
Hon Xamon said her questions in Parliament this week revealed Government run Hakea Prison was significantly understaffed including, notably, in health-related roles.
She said she was concerned to learn the prison had vacancies for two FTE clinical nurses, one FTE pharmacist, one FTE nurse practitioner and three FTE prisoner medical officers.
Greens spokesperson for Child Protection Hon Alison Xamon MLC has called on the WA Government to ensure Western Australian survivors of institutional child sexual abuse are not further traumatised by long delays in obtaining compensation.
Hon Xamon said the National Redress Scheme had received 6,077 applications as at 31 January 2020, but only 1,112 payments and 255 offers had been made. 543 applications are on hold across Australia, because the institution in which abuse occurred has not yet joined the scheme.
Greens spokesperson for Community Services and Mental Health Hon Alison Xamon MLC has today called on the Government to ensure financial support for the community sector is central to its response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Hon Xamon said it was crucial not-for-profit organisations could continue their work uninterrupted, particularly as demand for services was likely to grow as people’s level of need continued to grow.
