Independent MPs calling for Parliament to resume

Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, has joined his fellow Independent colleagues in calling for the resumption of parliamentary sittings in NSW.

Dr McGirr, along with Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, and Member for Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper, has written to Premier Gladys Berejiklian, asking that Parliament returns in October.

The August and September sittings of the Legislative Assembly were postponed due to the current COVID-19 outbreak.

But the three Independents are now keen to see Parliament resume in October, as scheduled.

In their letter to the Premier, the three MPs have pointed out that workers from a number of sectors, including police, teachers, nurses, doctors, ambulance personnel, allied health workers, grocery store employees, transport workers, bus and train drivers, have been required to work during the lockdown.

“We believe that maintaining the systems of representational government democracy through the Parliament is also essential work,” the three MPs wrote.

Dr McGirr said the Independent MPs took NSW Health advice and Public Health Orders seriously, but they believed there needed to be a return to Parliament as soon as possible.

“It could be that sittings will not proceed in the traditional way,” he said.

“We might need to consider a hybrid sitting that combines both limited in-house and virtual attendance.

“Additionally, we could consider other measures such as vaccine passports for MPs and staff or further agreements between parties for pairing, to reduce demand for in-person attendance.

“This government, like any other, needs scrutiny and without Parliament sitting, it is difficult to provide the scrutiny needed.

“I believe we should be exploring all options that will allow Parliament to safely sit.

“I acknowledge that our priority must be to keep the COVID-19 virus out of our regions and to that end there should be the facility for regional MPs to participate remotely using virtual technology.”