Subjects: Coronavirus travel restrictions; deportation of New Zealand criminals.
EO&E...........................................................................................................................................
NEIL MITCHELL:
On the line, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Good morning.
PETER DUTTON:
Good morning Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Is there a possibility that we will restrict travel from Italy?
PETER DUTTON:
Neil, obviously we made a decision on the weekend in relation to Iran and that was based on the advice from the Chief Medical Officer. He'd met with all of his state and territory counterparts. They looked at all of the evidence coming out of Iran – and obviously they're looking at other spots now including northern Italy – and they will make a judgement, provide that advice to the NSC, we look at that with the intelligence that we can gather otherwise, and then we make a judgement from there – and that's what we did in relation to Iran.
It's a different story though – just to make this point – when you've got somewhere like South Korea or Italy where they are advanced economies, they have world class health systems, they have accurate reporting of the numbers of people that are presenting, the numbers of people that have been tested; there's a capacity to test people and to get a true picture of the number of people that might have contracted coronavirus – in a similar way that we can here – so there are differences in different markets, but we'll take the medical advice and make a judgment from there.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Having said that, there's been a 50 per cent increase in infections in Italy in 24 hours and it's got the most coronavirus cases of any country outside Asia. There has to be reason to look pretty hard at it.
PETER DUTTON:
Absolutely and there's no question about that, but the biggest death rate outside of China is in Iran and the number this morning I think is up to 54. It was concerning, as I say, because initially there was very low or no reporting of cases there, and obviously just different countries and different health systems, and all of that needs to be weighed up; but as the Chief Medical Officer pointed out last week, we're moving into a pandemic stage and you can't put travel bans on every country and you need to look at the ways in which the health system can respond and all of that scenario planning has been done.
Obviously we're working very closely with the states and territories and we'll rely on that evidence, but we've got, as has been pointed out, probably the most advanced health system in the world. The preparedness to respond at our borders, in our economy and the Government's been doing this planning for a long period of time.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. Well, you know, why can't you close the borders or at least pretty significantly restrict them? The United States is talking about pretty drastic action. Why couldn't we say, okay, for the next two, three weeks, whatever, no foreign travel?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Neil, we have to look at the numbers of people that are coming through and your caller is one such example where they posed no risk at all. There's – not to make presumptions about the age of your caller – but if you're a healthy 30-year-old that's come from – and all of this intelligence is looked at before people arrive – you've come from an area where we don't have a concern, you're in a low risk category in terms of contracting this virus and your ability to deal with it, people are provided…
NEIL MITCHELL:
…but that doesn't mean you're not carrying it.
PETER DUTTON:
No, of course, it doesn't and if you've been into a particular area or you feel sick, the state health authorities have been very clear about that and that is to contact your GP or to contact the local hospital and to self-isolate. That advice has been very clear and I think that's appropriate.
NEIL MITCHELL:
If it gets as bad as some people are warning it could, some of the medical experts, is it then possible to close the borders or is it too late?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Neil, at that stage, and bearing in mind that we're now talking about almost 70 countries where this virus has spread to, and the way in which this virus can spread as well so easily, you do move into that pandemic stage. The Chief Medical Officer has been very frank about that in his advice last Friday and since then and the Prime Minister made the same point on Friday as well. So that's the stage that we move to, but in the interim we do look at containment…
NEIL MITCHELL:
…sorry, what do you mean? That's the stage we move to in terms of closing the borders?
PETER DUTTON:
No, no, in terms of the way in which we…
NEIL MITCHELL:
…he question was; is there at any stage, do we look at closing the borders?
PETER DUTTON:
I think it's very unlikely that we close borders, Neil, but in the end, as I say, we rely on the best medical advice in the world and that has been available to us so far. We've made the right judgements. We've made, I think, the right calls and we'll continue to do that, but we've done it based on the medical advice. There is a very, very high level of preparedness. We have one of the strongest border protection systems in the world. We're an island nation. We have the ability to deal with these threats and these pandemics and for a long time the agencies right across the Federal Government, but the state governments as well have been planning about they respond to such an incident.
NEIL MITCHELL:
With respect, I don't know about at the strongest border protection and Makayla's just an example who knew really nothing when she got off the plane coming from Indonesia. The Prime Minister himself told me he wasn't too sure about the Indonesian figures and caller after caller is telling us they're getting off the plane without even a piece of paper saying if you feel sick, self-isolate.
PETER DUTTON:
Well there's advice that's being provided on the plane by way of messaging and there's advice, plenty of advice at the airport when people arrive, banners etc, so that they can be provided with that information and in multiple languages as well. As I say, one of the significant aspects to our border protection system is that we can look at where people have come from. We can look at risk and we can rate that in terms of people who are coming in, their ages, where they've come from. We've got Airport Liaison Officers at most of the major hubs where people are hopping on these planes, so there's observation that's taken place there. There's a whole myriad of…
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay.
PETER DUTTON:
…closed circuit television that is monitored by the Border Protection staff when people are coming off planes. So they're looking for symptoms, and they have the ability along with agriculture to respond. But you're right, we aren't conducting health checks of everybody that's coming off a plane because it's just impractical to do that, but there are ways in which we are responding that I think should provide a very high level of reassurance.
NEIL MITCHELL:
With the matter of Italy, will that be reviewed today?
PETER DUTTON:
Any of these any of these countries and the in-country advice is being reviewed by the Chief Medical Officer and the expert panel, but as I say Neil, we cannot ban every country and we are moving now into a different stage on the advice that we've received, that is to a pandemic stage where it is impossible unless you close down every movement across your border, unless you stop every container ship coming in where you've got foreign crew on board, that's…
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay.
PETER DUTTON:
…the way in which we need to respond. So that's why we've invested so heavily in our hospital networks; the states have as well.
NEIL MITCHELL:
But some of the experts are saying we could need 250,000 to 500,000 intensive care beds. No matter how much you invest, they're not going to be available.
PETER DUTTON:
Well Neil, all I can say is that, as has been reported internationally, Australia has close to, if not the most advanced health system in the world and the ability of our staff within the hospitals, both public and private, within the areas of government otherwise, to respond to this, I think are world-leading. So that's the reassurance that we've got to provide. But it is a very serious situation. There's no question about that.
NEIL MITCHELL:
An example, Qatar has cancelled the MotoGP. We've got a Formula One race in Melbourne in two weeks. Do we have to review that?
PETER DUTTON:
Well again, we haven't provided that advice, that there's a need in our country, because we've had 29 people that have presented and we've been able, for the majority of those people, to provide them with healthcare and they've left hospital as healthy as they could be, back to their families and we, as I say, will look at the individual cases.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay.
PETER DUTTON:
And the medical staff, again, will provide advice around mass gatherings, etc, but that's not our advice at the moment.
NEIL MITCHELL:
It just strikes me as unusual. We are telling on the Smartraveller website, we're saying China and Iran do not travel, but Italy, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia exercise a high degree of caution. At the very least, surely that's got to be upgraded?
PETER DUTTON:
The advice for northern Italy has been upgraded over the last few days.
NEIL MITCHELL:
But it's still a high degree of caution.
PETER DUTTON:
So there's a four-stage process, and number four is do not travel, but northern Italy is at number three.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay.
PETER DUTTON:
So that has been upgraded.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Do you believe the numbers coming out of China because there are some reports that, yeah, of course it's not progressing, they've stopped testing for it.
PETER DUTTON:
We take the numbers at face value, but there's a lot of advice that we're receiving, including from our Five Eyes partners, from the United States, America, there's a lot of international engagement with the Chief Medical Officers with their colleagues internationally and obviously, there's a significant intelligence picture that our agencies are able to provide to us. All of that is weighed up in the National Security Committee before we make these decisions.
I think we're as well-informed as we can be, but there will be some countries, some areas, where there is just not the ability, whether it's through a desire or not, but just not an ability to get a real grasp on the numbers. There are a number of sources that we'll look at for the figures that we rely on.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Is there any restriction on travel overseas by either Members of Parliament or public servants?
PETER DUTTON:
They're in no different situation than Australians so they should take notice of the advice, the travel advisory advice that's coming out of DFAT and people should really regularly look at the website because that will be really important information.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Are you aware both Telstra and Zurich Insurance have banned overseas travel of their staff?
PETER DUTTON:
I think there are some other countries I was reading in the newspapers on the weekend that have restricted their staff going to Asia and there will be risk management processes that will automatically kick in to many of these companies where they don't want people with that particular skill in the company, that's crucial to the continuity of that company, to all fall sick at once. They'll want those people separated in different areas. They don't want…
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay.
PETER DUTTON:
…people travelling internationally. So they'll deal with that risk and for most of those companies that will be based on pretty solid medical advice.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. Okay. Well, are we overreacting? Is there an overreaction? There's a sense of public tension, if not panic. Do you think we're overreacting?
PETER DUTTON:
No, I don't think we are. I think when we look at all of the international advice and we look at the advice that we're getting from doctors here, I think our response has been prudent. I think it's been measured. I think it's been based on all of the facts that are available to us.
We're starting with the number one priority of keeping Australians safe and I think if you start with that as your priority – there is going to be a lot of hurt within small businesses, within the business community, and the economy otherwise; the Prime Minister has already indicated that the Government's considering ways in which we can support those industries or across the economy as well; so there are different phases of our response – but again, I think we're as well-placed in the world as anybody.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Okay. Thanks for talking to us.
Just quickly on another matter, Jacinda Ardern and the way she confronted the Prime Minister at that joint press conference. At the very least, that was a bit rude, wasn't it?
PETER DUTTON:
I just don't think Australians would expect us to act in any other way than in our national interest and Ms Ardern would say that she's doing the same.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So you didn't was a bit rude? Undiplomatic.
PETER DUTTON:
Look, I think in New Zealand they're in the midst of an election cycle and no doubt those comments play out well domestically, but from our perspective Neil, we've cancelled 5,000 plus visas now of people – and I've had a particular focus on people that have committed sexual offences against children and women and outlaw motorcycle gang members who are the biggest distributors of ice – I think we've made our country a safer place. That's my job. I'm just not going to step back from that.
If you're born in Australia and you commit an offence in any part of the world, you can expect to be deported back to Australia, and that's the responsibility of any sovereign nation.
But for us, we have 99 per cent of people who come here who do the right thing, but if you're a non-citizen coming to our country and you're assaulting an Australian, you're breaking in, you're stealing whatever it might be, you commit offences against our laws, then you can expect to have your visa cancelled and be deported.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Thank you so much for your time.
PETER DUTTON:
Take care mate.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Peter Dutton, the Home Affairs Minister.
[ends]