Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister update the House on what actions the Morrison government is taking to protect Australians from the outbreak of the coronavirus?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Robertson, who has been a long-term advocate for public health, in particular in relation to respiratory conditions. The coronavirus is, of course, a condition which can have catastrophic respiratory outcomes. The latest advice that I had before coming to question time was that 28,261 cases had been confirmed globally. Sadly, 565 people have been confirmed as having lost their lives to this condition, and it has now spread from mainland China to 27 other countries or regions. One of the things that members may notice is the rapid rise. The increase in confirmed cases has been tracking at between 15 and 20 per cent per day around the world. This is a very serious moment.

Obviously, we are well prepared for this. In Australia we have now had a 14th confirmed case. Of the 14 cases in Australia, all bar one have come from Wuhan in some way, shape or form. The remaining one has had contact with a confirmed case that had been in Wuhan. In addition to that, I am advised by the Chief Medical Officer that all of those 14 are well and three have been discharged. As well as that, 243 Australians were airlifted, with the support of Qantas; 241 are now on Christmas Island and two, as the Prime Minister mentioned, are in Perth. The good news, of which I was advised—again, by the Chief Medical Officer—just before coming to question time, is that, amongst those, the two that had been tested for coronavirus are now free of it; they have been declared to be negative.

Similarly, we have had the arrival of 36 passengers via New Zealand on Christmas Island, and the national incident centre has just reported to me, in fact during question time, that none of those passengers are suspected of having coronavirus. Again, two Australians on the cruise ship in Yokohama have been found to have coronavirus. The Japanese authorities—and we thank them—have taken very good care of them and transported them to a medical facility.

Across the country, state and territory health authorities are doing a wonderful job. Indeed, I spoke with the West Australian health minister shortly before question time, who outlined their actions, and I thank him. This is beyond party, beyond boundary, beyond state, beyond anything. The country is working together with the national incident centre, the National Medical Stockpile, the national trauma centre. They are all coming together. It is the country working to contain and to protect, and working as it should.