Scott Morrison tells states to increase capacity of hotel quarantine programs, but WA to oppose the move. Follow live
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11.13pm BST
Hunt said that national cabinet would consider the report of former senior public servant Jane Halton, who reviewed the hotel quarantine system. The review was commissioned in response to the Victorian outbreak, but looked at the strength of the national system.
He said Halton has been “very positive, overwhelmingly, about the performance of the states,” with the view on Victoria “still to come”. Halton’s report is not intended to compete with the judicial inquiry into hotel quarantine in Victoria.
The indication from Jane Halton is there’s capacity, massive hotel capacity around the country to bring Australians home, to bring our sons and daughters home, to bring our parents, to bring people who want to return to their own country, home.
So the caps have been a function of the hotel quarantine levels. But we’ve been very clear that the advice from one of the toughest public servants ever to work in Australia, one of the finest public servants ever to work in Australia, is there’s a clear capacity that can be increased and that means more Australians coming home before Christmas.
Around the country, the hotel quarantine system has worked well. Almost 2,500 cases have been detected in hotel quarantine. That’s prevented those cases escaping to the community. We would’ve been a massively different country now but for this system.
Now, we know the consequences when there was a breach in Victoria and we lived – as have you – the challenges of those outcomes. So we can see how fundamentally important it is both to bring Australians home on the one hand but to protect Australians on the other.
11.06pm BST
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said the escalation of telehealth in response to the pandemic has been a “revolution” in the way Australia delivers healthcare.
The medicare rebate for telehealth has been extended, as have medicare rebates for the home medication delivery service, and free pathology for Covid-19 tests. The federal government has also extended agreements with private hospitals to provide surge capacity, particularly for the aged care response in Victoria.
We’ve had over 30 million telehealth consultations and it’s a system which effectively was brought forward by 10 years in 10 days…
Universal telehealth has helped to protect doctors and patients. We’re extending it and we’re working with the medical groups on the long-term retention. That’s our clear goal. This has been a revolution in the way we deliver medicare and medicine and health services around Australia.
Continue reading…Scott Morrison tells states to increase capacity of hotel quarantine programs, but WA to oppose the move. Follow liveFollow our global coronavirus live blogFlight caps fight looms at national cabinet as Morrison pledges pandemic health funding‘A moment of cheer’: 100-year-old Victorian man leaves hospital after surviving coronavirus fight‘I volunteered to be a human guinea pig for a Covid vaccine. Now I’m having second thoughts’ 11.13pm BSTHunt said that national cabinet would consider the report of former senior public servant Jane Halton, who reviewed the hotel quarantine system. The review was commissioned in response to the Victorian outbreak, but looked at the strength of the national system.He said Halton has been “very positive, overwhelmingly, about the performance of the states,” with the view on Victoria “still to come”. Halton’s report is not intended to compete with the judicial inquiry into hotel quarantine in Victoria.The indication from Jane Halton is there’s capacity, massive hotel capacity around the country to bring Australians home, to bring our sons and daughters home, to bring our parents, to bring people who want to return to their own country, home. So the caps have been a function of the hotel quarantine levels. But we’ve been very clear that the advice from one of the toughest public servants ever to work in Australia, one of the finest public servants ever to work in Australia, is there’s a clear capacity that can be increased and that means more Australians coming home before Christmas.Around the country, the hotel quarantine system has worked well. Almost 2,500 cases have been detected in hotel quarantine. That’s prevented those cases escaping to the community. We would’ve been a massively different country now but for this system.Now, we know the consequences when there was a breach in Victoria and we lived – as have you – the challenges of those outcomes. So we can see how fundamentally important it is both to bring Australians home on the one hand but to protect Australians on the other. 11.06pm BSTThe federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said the escalation of telehealth in response to the pandemic has been a “revolution” in the way Australia delivers healthcare.The medicare rebate for telehealth has been extended, as have medicare rebates for the home medication delivery service, and free pathology for Covid-19 tests. The federal government has also extended agreements with private hospitals to provide surge capacity, particularly for the aged care response in Victoria. We’ve had over 30 million telehealth consultations and it’s a system which effectively was brought forward by 10 years in 10 days…Universal telehealth has helped to protect doctors and patients. We’re extending it and we’re working with the medical groups on the long-term retention. That’s our clear goal. This has been a revolution in the way we deliver medicare and medicine and health services around Australia. Continue reading…