Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Van for his question. As at 6.30 am today, 24 February, there have been a total of 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia; 10 are reported to have recovered, with the remaining cases understood to be in a stable condition. The case totals by jurisdiction are two in South Australia, five in Queensland, four in Victoria, four in New South Wales and seven associated with the Diamond Princess repatriation flight from Japan.

Minister Hunt and his state and territory counterparts attended the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee meeting on 23 February and were given an update on the current COVID-19 situation and discussed national preparedness of the health system. The advice received is that COVID-19—or coronavirus, as it is known—has been contained in Australia, with no new cases in the general population in the last week. Although the virus is contained in Australia, with only 22 cases, Australia is ready and has acted very early to prepare for a potential pandemic.

The containment of the virus in Australia is an encouraging indication that the government's approach to preventing the spread of coronavirus on our shores continues to be successful. Of the Australians who were on the Diamond Princess and have been brought to the quarantine facility in Howard Springs, seven have been diagnosed with coronavirus. All are well and in a stable condition but have been put into an isolation and containment process before being medevaced to hospitals in their home states. The protection and safety of Australians remains the government's highest priority.