Australians have every right to expect their government, in sticking to the approach of living with COVID, to have contingency arrangements in place to respond to the constantly changing pandemic environment.
For weeks the Opposition has been calling on the Labor Government to release the health advice and modelling underpinning their decisions.
The Chief Medical Officer’s letter to Minister Butler on the 31st of December states: “I do not believe that there is sufficient public health rationale to impose any restriction or additional requirements on travellers from China.”
The Albanese Government must explain to the Australian people why they have ignored the advice of the Chief Medical Officer – particularly given the Health Minister and Acting Secretary of the Health Department have advised there is no new variant of concern coming out of China and, therefore, no logical reason for the restrictions they are putting in place.
In the absence of Australian health advice to put the restrictions in place, the Prime Minister must justify why he has deviated from what has been previously agreed.
The most relevant health advice for Australians is our Chief Medical Officer’s advice, as it considers all factors in the context of our nation’s health and economic position.
The last thing our country needs is a panicked response from a government that doesn’t have a plan and, frankly, over the last week, has been making it up as they go along.
Chinese Australians want to return home after their holidays and need more certainty in their travel plans.
It disrupts families and businesses when the economy is souring under the Albanese Government.
Australians expect that their government is prepared for situations like this; instead, we are left with chaos and confusion.
03 January 2023