Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When Australians needed us, Territorians put up our hand to help. At the start of the coronavirus crisis, we got Aussies out of Wuhan and we brought Aussies home from Japan from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. It's fantastic news that the NT Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, with the Prime Minister have reached an agreement to bring more stranded Aussies home by Christmas. The Northern Territory Centre for National Resilience in Howard Springs will quarantine about 500 Australians returning per fortnight.

Our quarantine system is the gold standard. We are the safest place in Australia but we've also got the best quarantine facility. The evacuees will be cared for by the incredibly highly skilled health professionals at the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, and I spoke with the executive director, Professor Len Notaras, last week in Darwin. They're doing a great job, and I commend them to the House.

As the NT Chief Minister has said, we are the best at this, and our strong partnership with the Commonwealth means we can work together in the national interest to bring even more Australians home whilst keeping Territorians safe and our vulnerable Aboriginal population safe from this virus. Darwin has also got other facilities that can be used to bring even more Australians home, such as the former immigration detention centre at Blaydin Point. We look forward to doing everything we can to bring Aussies home before Christmas.