Page 974 - Week 04 - Thursday, 7 May 2020

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determine who was eligible to stay home and who needed to attend their normal place of employment?

MR BARR: It was certainly done as a directorate-by-directorate, division-by-division response. I can get some further information for Mr Wall in relation to how that applies to the particular three examples he has given.

Business––COVID-19

MR WALL: My question is to the Chief Minister and Treasurer. Chief Minister, as the COVID-19 restrictions were introduced, you said we would be in lock step with New South Wales as decisions were made, to allow for consistency, given that a large number of businesses operate across the border and a large number of people work across the border. Will the ACT continue to mirror New South Wales as the restrictions are lifted?

MR BARR: We have certainly endeavoured to be as consistent as possible, within the national cabinet framework, and to align as much as possible with New South Wales. But, clearly, we are an independent, self-governing territory and so we have the capacity to deviate from New South Wales’s approach where it is appropriate.

Examples of that have included the approach of ACT Policing, which has differed somewhat from New South Wales policing. We did not have ACT police officers chasing down people who bought kebabs after they went for a run and issuing them with fines. We did not have ACT police officers issuing fines to people sitting alone in a public park. We did not have any beaches to close. So, clearly, there are some differences between the ACT and New South Wales. We have treated our citizens like adults. The three examples I have used from across the border would appear to be a little heavy handed and I think were rightly pointed out in that regard.

New South Wales is a big state. They have a variety of different epidemiological curves and outbreaks that they have to respond to. Where it makes sense, and as much as possible, without being absolute, I have indicated that I want that consistency so as not to have radical differences between New South Wales and the ACT. But we retain the right, as always, to adopt a different approach here, as we are a self-governing territory.

MR WALL: New South Wales has lifted restrictions on property open homes and on-site auctions for the real estate industry, allowing them to return this weekend. Will it be the same case for the real estate sector in the ACT?

MR BARR: The real estate sector have put forward an approach to the Chief Health Officer. They have put forward, effectively, a COVID-safe plan to the Chief Health Officer. I understand that that was submitted about 24 or 48 hours ago. I will check on that. I hope to be able to make some further announcements on that, following national cabinet tomorrow. That will also relate not just to this weekend but also to the longer term.


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