Health minister, Peter Dutton, responds: ‘Labor must immediately stop playing politics with Ebola’
Labor is ramping up pressure on the government over its response to the Ebola outbreak. Tanya Plibersek has warned that the disease may spiral “out of control” if not contained within weeks.
The prime minister, Tony Abbott, admitted on Thursday in question time that Australia had been asked to contribute to the practical international response by key allies the US and Britain, and that he was giving “careful consideration” to the request.
Plibersek, Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, said Australia must act now.
“The predictions are that if we don’t get Ebola under control in the next two months or so, the spread of the virus will be completely unpredictable and very difficult to handle,” she said. “We’ve had calls from around the world for Australia to send help.
“We must stop this in West Africa, and Australia must be part of an international effort. If Ebola gets to Asia there’s no guarantee of Australia’s safety.”
The health minister, Peter Dutton, issued a statement saying Australia is in “discussions with our international partners about what assistance can reasonably be provided towards the effort in West Africa”. Australia has contributed $18m to the United Nations and NGOs.
“The government has world-class domestic protocols in place to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a reported case in Australia,” Dutton wrote. “Labor must immediately stop playing politics with Ebola.”
The tit-for-tat among the two major parties comes after the Department of Health was grilled by a Senate estimates committee.
The chief medical officer, Chris Baggoley, admitted that the government had not specifically trained medical personnel to tackle Ebola, but his evidence was later refuted by the head of the department, Martin Bowles, who said a number of health workers were immediately ready to be deployed to Ebola-affected regions if called upon to do so.
The Coalition said Labor’s push to send medical personnel abroad would disregard their safety; they could not be deployed before logistical considerations such as accommodation, safety and evacuation routes were finalised.