“Australians are enjoying relative freedoms, relative openness and, of course, health successes that are the envy of the rest of the world.”
Labor has criticised the federal government’s approach to hotel quarantine, with opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong saying “Scott Morrison has refused to take responsibility for quarantine” and urging the government to establish a national system.
Responding to the criticism, Senator Birmingham questioned where the quarantine facilities would be established and where the “magical workforce” would be found.
He said the federal government had supported state governments’ hotel quarantine systems with Defence Force personnel.
He also noted that some of the Australians registering their desire to come home had done so in recent months, not in the early stages of the pandemic.
After Emirates suspended its flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Senator Birmingham noted other carriers were still servicing Australia and they could fill the capacity available under international arrival caps.
Senator Birmingham said the repatriation flights facilitated by the government would be done in a safe way to keep Australia safe and open.
