Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to confirmation today that a worker in Sydney who tested positive to coronavirus worked at two hotels, only one of which is a quarantine hotel. Given that quarantine is a Commonwealth responsibility, why are hotel quarantine workers still working across multiple sites?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and I acknowledge the work of the New South Wales government in dealing with this latest case today. They have not just one of the finest systems in Australia for contact tracing; arguably they have one of the finest systems in the world. It's the gold standard for Australia. It is the gold standard, we think, for the world.

One of the critical things Australia has done is put in place border protections, beginning on 1 February, at the earliest stages as part of our national plan to deal with COVID. At the time, that was criticised by some in the international community and specifically criticised by the World Health Organization, but we made those decisions. Another critical element has been to follow the medical advice. What we have done—perhaps above almost any other nation—has been to follow the medical advice. As part of that, we have developed arrangements with the states, and I would respectfully note that the states embraced and took full responsibility for delivering the hotel quarantine scheme under their public health responsibilities and as part of the national cabinet process. They are overwhelmingly doing a great job. Obviously, Victoria had a significant challenge. As long as we have engagement with the rest of the world—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is quite specific to the issue of people working across multiple sites.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just say to the Minister for Health: there was a specific question there. He's given some context, which I have enabled him to give, and I think that's useful. I think he was actually just coming to the point as the point of order was made—or had just come to it, with respect to what the states are doing.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Indeed. As part of those responsibilities, when we set out the arrangements that the Prime Minister led with the states, they specifically, expressly and clearly took responsibility, but we have provided support through provision of the ADF. We have provided support through the work of Jane Halton, a former distinguished secretary, and through the Chief Scientist of Australia. They have set out the standards expected, and individual states are responding to and adopting those standards. We welcome all of those elements. So the premise of the question is fundamentally wrong. It is incorrect in fact.

However, it is important to understand that wherever we are in a situation of engaging with the outside world, on a day when there have been over 600,000 cases and the highest rate of loss of life ever through the pandemic, what we see is that we protect Australians through hotel quarantine. There will be risks associated with that, but we have put in place a system which has made Australia the envy of the world.