Labor expresses ‘grave concern’ at response to escalating crisis, arguing evacuation arrangements could be put in place
Labor has stepped up its calls for the Australian government to send specialists to west Africa to prevent the spread of Ebola, arguing appropriate evacuation arrangements could be put in place.
Tony Abbott has said it would be irresponsible “to order our personnel into harm’s way without all appropriate precautions being in place, and at this time, they simply aren’t and they can’t be”.
But the prime minister is being urged to negotiate with other countries to ensure standby and evacuation management arrangements for any Australian personnel.
Labor expressed its “grave concern” at the government’s response to the rapidly escalating Ebola crisis in a letter to the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, and the health minister, Peter Dutton.
The letter cites calls from numerous health groups, including the Australian Medical Association, and the United Nations for countries to send medical staff and support teams to help manage the outbreak in west Africa.
It says the government should make “immediate arrangements” to deploy Australian medical assistance teams and support other specialist Australian personnel such as doctors and nurses who are willing and able to help prevent the disease spreading.
“The opposition has supported the government’s $18m contribution to relief efforts, but money alone is not enough,” says the letter from the deputy opposition leader, Tanya Plibersek, and the shadow health minister, Catherine King.
“Experts are saying very clearly that experienced personnel are needed on the ground too. Such support would be broadly consistent with what is already being provided by the United States, the United Kingdom and others.”
King and Plibersek say Australia cannot afford to keep standing by as the world confronts “the most serious health emergency of the modern era”.
They say the humanitarian crisis in west Africa now poses a direct threat to world economic growth and must be contained.
“Ebola has killed more than 4,000 people and infected around 10,000 people in West Africa. If we don’t do more, some predictions suggest the number of Ebola cases could reach 1.4m by 2015,” the letter says.
“As recent Ebola cases in the US and Spain show, even countries with the most highly developed health and border protection systems are no longer immune. If the international community pulls together, the Ebola outbreak may be possible to contain. But the window of opportunity is closing fast.”
The Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer told Sky News on Thursday the government had no guarantees as to the evacuation of Australian health workers sent to west Africa. She described it as “simply reckless” to send people into harm’s way without such assurances.
The Labor MP Nick Champion replied that the government should work on “sensible arrangements with international partners”.
The assistant defence minister, Stuart Robert, told Sky News there was no point sending Australians to west Africa unless there were adequate plans “to be able to effectively get them out if indeed there is an infection”.