House debates

Monday, 2 March 2020

Questions without Notice

Coronavirus

2:10 pm

Photo of John AlexanderJohn Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister outline the actions the Morrison government is taking to protect Australians from a coronavirus outbreak, including how it is working with the states and territories?

Photo of Greg HuntGreg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bennelong, who has been one of the great advocates for the strength of the Australian medical sector—and the medicines sector, in particular. I have had the privilege of visiting and working with him in Macquarie Park. I also know that in Eastwood, a part of his community, the Chinese-Australian community has been struggling with some of the challenges. We want to encourage people to visit Eastwood—to be out in the restaurants and out in the community.

One of the things that we have done—and I want to thank the states and territories for this—is to work very specifically with the states and territories on the challenge of coronavirus. Sadly, over the weekend, as the Prime Minister mentioned, Australia suffered its first loss. Mr James Kwan lost his life at age 78. He had been on the Diamond Princess. His death was obviously a tragedy for his family, and it was also a blow to all of those who had been on the Diamond Princess and are now in quarantine. We know, through the daily checking process, that 10 Australians who had been on the Diamond Princess and been returned to Australia and are now in quarantine have been detected as having coronavirus. The other nine are, I am advised, well and in good care. The states have been medivaccing them, and have done a tremendous job in taking care of the patients. I don't think any finer care could have been given.

As part of the work of COAG, we've looked at the numbers in Australia. All up, there are now 29 cases that have had an impact on Australia soil: 15 initially, who were contained, isolated and treated and all of whom have recovered; the 10 from the Diamond Princess; and four with links to travel from Iran identified over the weekend—which contributed to the decision we made, before the latter three had been identified, to impose a travel ban in relation to Iran.

With regard to the states and territories, the implementation of the pandemic plan was discussed on Friday at COAG. That included the Commonwealth taking steps on the primary care component of the plan. We've been working on that with the AMA and the College of GPs since Friday. There's work in relation to aged-care protection for our vulnerable older Australians. That work on aged-care protection has included talking today with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner and will include further work throughout the course of the week. Then there is the work in relation to the national medicines supply and the National Medical Stockpile. Today I met with the head of the TGA, Professor Skerritt. They have a dedicated unit focusing on this. The states are focusing on lifting their hospitals' capacity to have what is known as surge capacity, to make sure that the workforce is covered.

The country is working together, as it should. This is a difficult time, and there will be challenges going forward. But the plans that have been long-established are now in place. (Time expired)