Prime Minister Scott Morrison has given his strongest indication yet the Commonwealth will support a proposal for a coronavirus quarantine facility to be built in Victoria.
Key points:
- The federal government has all but backed a Victorian proposal for a quarantine facility
- The facility would be built on Melbourne's outskirts and include 500 beds
- The Prime Minister says the site would increase quarantine capacity
The state wants to set up a 500-bed facility for returning travellers in Mickelham, about 30 kilometres north of Melbourne's CBD.
The Victorian government has asked the federal government to pay for its construction and has flagged work would start in September.
Mr Morrison all but announced the government would support the proposal during a press conference in Canberra on the same day Victoria's latest COVID-19 outbreak reached 26 cases.
"We are working with the Victorian government … They've put forward a few weeks ago a very useful proposal," Mr Morrison said.
"I discussed this yesterday with [Acting Premier] James Merlino. We are highly favourable towards this.
In highlighting his support for the proposal, the Prime Minister said the facility's additional capacity was a drawcard.
"I think one of the really useful elements of this proposal is that it adds to the capacity. It's not in place of hotel quarantine," Mr Morrison said.
The federal government has previously touted the success of hotel quarantine as a reason that states should maintain responsibility for returning travellers.
Mr Morrison said the hotel system had been "99.9 per cent effective", while Defence Minister Peter Dutton last month described Victoria's proposal to have the federal government pay for the Mickleham facility as "political smoke and mirrors".
"This is a $15 million generous donation from the Victorian government to do the planning for a $700 million bill that they want the Commonwealth to pick up," he said in April.
There was also no funding in the federal budget to help build the dedicated quarantine site next to an existing pet quarantine facility, which was proposed by the Victorian government two weeks earlier.
Victoria had asked the federal government to provide at least $200 million to build the centre, on the proviso the state would run it.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said at the time he was "very disappointed" the funding was not provided.
"Hotels weren't designed to be quarantine facilities, and while we always need to do more so long as they're part of our system, to be as safe as they possibly can, the Commonwealth's own reports … show that there are better alternatives," he said.
"Victoria has put forward a costed, sensible, scalable option for Mickleham and I look forward to the Commonwealth supporting that.
"The alternative arrangements to hotel quarantine need to be taken up and need to be fast-tracked."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA1LTI3L2ZlZGVyYWwtZ292ZXJubWVudC1zdXBwb3J0cy1tZWxib3VybmUtcXVhcmFudGluZS1mYWNpbGl0eS8xMDAxNzE4OTDSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAwMTcxODkw?oc=5
2021-05-27 10:58:53Z
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