Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields) (17:16:22) — I support the motion to acknowledge the collective community effort in battling COVID-19 and its economic consequences.

Indeed a lot has been asked of our communities over the past year. They were asked to support charitable initiatives when the terrible bushfires struck. My community responded by donating money, goods and their time to support others. 

They were asked to socially isolate to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. My community responded by staying home as much as possible and following health directions. They missed family gatherings and made sacrifices in not celebrating important personal occasions because it was the right thing to do during a health pandemic.

Then just as we thought New South Wales had a handle on COVID-19, new cases in south-west Sydney emerged. Again my community was asked to do the right thing. They were asked to get tested if they had been at a particular venue or had even the mildest symptoms.

My community answered the call. They turned up in their thousands to get tested. They waited in line at Campbelltown and Liverpool hospitals. Sometimes they waited in the rain. They sat in their cars for hours at pop-up clinics. My community did the right thing and played their role to make our community and our country safer.

People in south-west Sydney can be proud of how they responded to a rise in new cases of COVID-19. They did not put their heads in the sand. They did not pretend this pandemic was someone else's problem. They showed up. They got tested. They played their part. 

Was the process perfect? No. Were there barriers that may have deterred others from getting tested? Yes. 

In my electorate I heard reports of people lining up in the rain from 8.00 a.m. at a pathology clinic in Ingleburn where you needed a referral from a GP to get tested. 

Unfortunately, while I waited in line for testing along with older Australians and those with very young children for more than two hours at the Campbelltown Hospital I saw people leave the queue out of frustration. There were similar scenes at the pop-up clinic in Casula because the wait was too long.

Making people wait in a line for hours—whether they are in a car or out in the elements—is not plausible for many in our community. This is not right, it is not fair and it is not in the public interest. 

If we are to ask our community to do the right thing in getting tested, then the Government must reciprocate with a testing process that is both more accessible and efficient.

I was astounded to learn that the Government planned to close pop-up clinics in south-west Sydney during the peak of new cases. Closing pop-up testing sites would only make queues longer at testing sites like the Campbelltown Hospital and the Liverpool Hospital, thereby putting more pressure on our hardworking frontline health workers.

I am glad somewhere in the bureaucracy common sense prevailed and testing sites were left open. New South Wales wants to and can contribute positively.

The pandemic should not put a stop to good ideas from being proposed, regardless of policy or political origin. Indeed, I think our community would be very concerned if the Government rejected a good idea because it was Labor's idea, as partisan politics should have no role in this pandemic.

There is always room to improve the testing efficiency for COVID-19 because we all have a responsibility to suggest good ideas. The last thing that anyone wants are long lines of people because it deters those trying to do the right thing and keep our community safe.

The Shadow Minister for Better Public Services and I recently suggested the Government develop a dedicated phone app or website for COVID-19 test bookings. 

Labor's proposal would allow people to book a test online to reduce waiting times. Real-time information would allow people to see which testing clinics had capacity to avoid overcrowding and encourage more people to get tested. Our community requires and deserves a testing process that is quick and easy so we can stop COVID-19 outbreaks as much as possible.

I congratulate the people in my electorate and in south-west Sydney on answering the call to get tested for COVID-19. I thank the thousands of people who were socially responsible by having a test and for self-isolating. I also extend my thanks to everyone who has been adhering to social distancing guidelines. I know how hard that is on a personal basis. 

It is heartening, though, to see our community play its part during the public health crisis. Correspondingly, governments must reciprocate this goodwill with adequate resourcing for health workers, providing an accessible and efficient testing process, and uniting in their deliberations and decision-making to produce consistency and clarity in their community messages. Indeed, we are all in this together.