The Federal Minister for Tourism Simon Birmingham has told NSW authorities to lift its standards after an error saw two international travellers accidentally bypass quarantine requirements after landing in Sydney.
Key points:
- A review of police practices at Sydney International Airport is underway
- The mother and son involved in the breach have tested negative to COVID-19
- NSW Police have attributed the quarantine error to a "language barrier"
On Saturday, a 53-year-old German-Australian dual citizen and her German-born 15-year-old son were initially directed to board a bus to hotel quarantine after being screened by NSW Health.
Authorities said a miscommunication led to police escorting the pair to a Melbourne-bound domestic flight.
It is understood a security guard at a Melbourne Airport car park overheard a conversation involving the pair and was able to escalate it up the chain of command.
The pair have tested negative to COVID-19 and are currently in hotel quarantine in Melbourne.
NSW Police yesterday said it was "very sorry for the incident".
Mr Birmingham said the "apology is welcome" but the incident was evidence there were gaps within the NSW's quarantine procedures.
"What is more important is… to make sure that there's not a repeat in that regard," he told the ABC.
"These are reminders that the processes needed to be thorough, they need to be rigorous and the safeguards need to firmly be in place.
"Obviously, further tightening is required in NSW."
He said there was "no cheap and easy way to have Australians coming in in massive volumes" and rebuked Labor's calls to raise the cap for citizens returning from overseas.
Yesterday, NSW Police apologised for the error and admitted it "incorrectly" allowed the pair to board the flight and attributed the the error to a "language barrier".
Deputy Commissioner Jeff Loy said an officer mistakenly thought they were exempt from quarantine and their pair were "escorted" by police to their Melbourne flight.
He said the officer was only on his second shift at the airport operation and "thought he was doing the right thing".
"There was a language barrier," he said.
"There was communication issues and the police officer has admitted the mistake that he didn't check the appropriate exemption forms and the paperwork appropriately."
Deputy Commissioner Loy admitted the error was "not a good look" for NSW Police, but said only two passengers out of 100,000 had slipped through quarantine cracks.
The breach has overshadowed the re-opening of runways at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport today, which was closed to international flights outside of New Zealand for six months.
The Chief Executive Officer Lyell Strambi said the incident was a "really good measure of the level of diligence in Victoria".
"Any error of this sort of nature is disappointing, without a shadow of a doubt," he said.
"I was actually quite impressed NSW Police took quick accountability for it, that means you get fast learnings out of it."
A review of police practices at Sydney International Airport is underway as a result of the breach, NSW Police said in a statement.
Mr Birmingham said the police "apology is welcome" and Australian Border Force (ABF) officials would be working with all the state and territories.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTA3L3NpbW9uLWJpcm1pbmdoYW0tdGVsbHMtbnN3LXBvbGljZS10by10aWdodGVuLWFpcnBvcnQtcXVhcmFudGluZS8xMjk1NjE5NtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjk1NjE5Ng?oc=5
2020-12-06 23:16:00Z
52781227672821
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Simon Birmingham tells NSW to tighten airport quarantine measures after travellers board flight to Melbourne - ABC News"
Post a Comment