Mr MILLS - 2005-10-13
And now for something completely different! The federal Health minister, Tony Abbott, recently told the ABC that six 500-bed emergency quarantine units were being readied around Australia, one near each international airport. The minister said the units would be located as close as possible to each airport and that the beds and associated infrastructure were being put in place now. Will Darwin International Airport have such a 500-bed quarantine unit assigned to it? Have the preparations for the opening of such a unit been completed? Where will that unit be located? Further, would all arriving passengers at the airport be placed into that quarantine unit as a precautionary measure, and for how long will they be kept there?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I cannot give the detail the member is asking for at the moment. What I can say is that there is an officer-level task force working on these issues. As I said in my ministerial report earlier this week, Tarun Weeramanthri goes to those forums, and I am sure the details of that initiative announced by the minister – which, I must say, is news to me - regarding any impact that we will now want to negotiate to the Territory. If that is, indeed, what he is saying, we will have the opportunity to talk about that in about three weeks time at the Ministerial Council which I chair. We will give you a detailed answer once we know the detail of the minister’s announcement.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I cannot give the detail the member is asking for at the moment. What I can say is that there is an officer-level task force working on these issues. As I said in my ministerial report earlier this week, Tarun Weeramanthri goes to those forums, and I am sure the details of that initiative announced by the minister – which, I must say, is news to me - regarding any impact that we will now want to negotiate to the Territory. If that is, indeed, what he is saying, we will have the opportunity to talk about that in about three weeks time at the Ministerial Council which I chair. We will give you a detailed answer once we know the detail of the minister’s announcement.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016