Premier Gladys Berejiklian admits to breach of isolation

Premier entered parliament and voted on ­legislation while awaiting COVID-19 test results.

Gladys Berejiklian bumps elbows with NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet in NSW Parliament on November 17 — the day she was tested for COVID-19. Picture: AAP

Gladys Berejiklian entered parliament and voted on a piece of ­legislation while awaiting test ­results for a potential COVID-19 infection, a breach of NSW Health guidelines that also contradicted her earlier statements that she ­remained in her office while awaiting news she was clear of the pathogen.

The NSW Premier admitted on Tuesday — a day after The Australian revealed she had violated her obligation to self-isolate — that she was tested for COVID-19 about 4pm following question time on November 17. She said she did not receive the results until about 6pm.

News of Ms Berejiklian’s breach emerged despite repeated efforts by her office to disrupt publication of the article, using threats and warnings that “action” would be taken if “wildly inaccurate” allegations were printed.

While she awaited her test results, Ms Berejiklian held meetings in her office with senior members of cabinet in relation to koala planning laws and concerns that those proposals would be derailed by members of the upper house.

 

The meeting occurred after question time in her office. At 5.40pm she left the room to vote on legislation in the lower house, arriving at 5.42pm and appearing to make physical contact with deputy whip Lee Evans on the way into the chamber, a further breach of social distancing measures.

Mr Evans did not return calls.

Both Ms Berejiklian and NSW Health officials have repeatedly insisted on maintaining physical distancing measures; they have also implored anyone undergoing a test for COVID-19 to immediately self-isolate until the results are confirmed negative.

Hours before admitting she had not abided by these guidelines, Ms Berejiklian gave television ­interviews stating that, with hindsight, she would have “closed my (office) door” while awaiting the results of her test.

She made no mention of leaving her office while waiting for the results to vote in parliament and withheld the time that she had received the results.

Under pressure to reveal the timings of her test, Ms Berejiklian said later: “It would have been about four o’clock or thereabouts that I had the test and then a couple of hours later, just after six, or thereabouts, that I got the results.”

Members of her office sought to cover up the fact that Ms Berejiklian continued working while awaiting these results instead of isolating at home. They said “grief” would follow if “inaccurate allegations” about Ms Berejiklian were published by The Australian, which has been seeking basic answers to questions since last Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the NSW Premier admitted to the ABC that she should have closed her office door and “not seen anybody for 90 minutes to two hours while I was waiting for the result”.

“But it was only because I was tired and losing my voice and I knew that I didn’t have any [COVID-19] symptoms.

“But having said that … I’m judged accordingly and I’ll have to accept that.”

Ms Berejiklian earlier attempted to defend herself by saying the test was “precautionary”, and taken due to the loss of her voice, which is not a listed symptom of the virus. She, therefore, did not need to self-isolate.

Critics argued that all tests are precautionary and there should not be a distinction between the test undertaken by the NSW Premier and those administered to members of the public. NSW Health issued a statement on Tuesday reiterating its long-held advice that “after testing people should self-isolate until a negative result is received”.

NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay criticised Ms Berejiklian for trying to “self-diagnose” her ailment and for insisting on coming to work that day, particularly when both she and her chief health officer, Kerry Chant, have emphasised for months that NSW residents should stay at home if they display the mildest symptoms.

At least one previous outbreak of the virus in Sydney occurred when a worker at a nursing home attended their facility while suffering a slight scratchy sensation in her throat.

“The rules are very clear,” Ms McKay said.