Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Marshall and Morrison governments' proposal to use the aviation student accommodation village at Parafield Airport as a quarantine facility for around 160 international university students at a time is causing angst among nearby residents, who last year were subjected to a COVID outbreak. Locals were not consulted about the proposal, and they want to know: what discussions, if any, have taken place with adjoining business operators; who will oversee the quarantine arrangements; what restrictions will apply to those in quarantine; will any flight training students simultaneously reside in the village; where will prospective students come from and what selection criteria will apply; who will be permitted to enter and exit the village; what will be the role of the federal government in oversight of a quarantine facility on Commonwealth land; how will the weekly accommodation costs be calculated; and why was the Parafield Airport Consultative Committee not consulted about this proposal at its very recent meeting on 20 May? All of these questions needs satisfactory answers before the Parafield Airport housing is used for quarantine. The national and state governments' first responsibility is to keep people safe. Furthermore, governments should prioritise the return home of the thousands of Australians who are currently stranded overseas and desperately want to come home.

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