Legislative Council, Thursday 2 September 2021

Ms FORREST - to LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Mrs HISCUTT

With regard to the two AFL Finals matches played in Tasmania on the weekend of 28 and 29 August:

1. How many players, AFL officials and other support staff were permitted entry into the State;
2. Were all players, AFL officials and other support staff required to stay in hotel quarantine if they were not flying in and out on the same day;
3. How many players, AFL officials and other support staff were accommodated in hotel quarantine; and
a. What hotels or facilities were used for this purpose;
4. How were the costs of hotel quarantine met;

5. Were any Tasmanians displaced from these facilities to enable the hotel/facility to be used; and if so;
a. How many people had booking cancelled or cut short; and
b. Were these people compensated and if so by whom;
6. Were any non-essential spectators permitted entry to the games;
a. If so, on what basis was entry to Tasmania permitted;
7. With regard to essential players and support staff, what interaction, if any, occurred with staff or other attendees at the ground;
8. Were all who entered Tasmania for these games required to have a recent negative COVID test prior to entry to Tasmania;
9. Were all who entered the State for this purpose vaccinated; and
a. If not, how many were unvaccinated?

ANSWER

Government contracted quarantine hotels were not used by AFL teams and officials for accommodation for the period they were in Tasmania recently. Accommodation was booked and paid for by the AFL, directly with the properties. This is a commercial matter between the AFL and the properties and the Government is not privy to that information.

Current border security protocols, and established AFL and Club COVID safe protocols approved by Public Health, were strictly applied throughout this time. All AFL staff, AFL accredited attendees, and club players and officials were tested prior to departure to Tasmania and were tested on a regular basis whilst in Tasmania. It is not a requirement to be vaccinated in order to enter Tasmania.