Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has today written to Chief Medical Officers across Australia prior to their meeting tomorrow to discuss Australia’s readiness for a potential Ebola outbreak.

In a formal letter Mr Katter has pleaded with the State and Territory Chief Medical Officers to introduce mandatory three weeks isolation quarantine as a minimum requirement.

“It is now close to two weeks since we had the Ebola scare in Cairns and there is still no statement from the state health authorities on any isolation quarantine.

“We have the ridiculous situation where horses running in the Melbourne Cup are in isolated quarantine for two weeks, but people coming back from Ebola affected countries are not in isolated quarantine.

“There has been a very unhealthy emphasis on combatting Ebola in Africa; and no emphasis, really on protecting Australia.

“We have sent a formal letter to requesting yet again an assurance that anyone leaving Australia will sign documentation agreeing that when they go back into Australia they will go back into isolated quarantine,” he said.

Mr Katter has called the Australian protocols completely inadequate; in light of two United States nurses who have contracted Ebola, despite wearing supposedly adequate protective coverings and adhering to the reported tight protocols, with one nurse permitted to board a domestic flight.

“The goal post in Australia has been changed. The bar was on the ground a week and a half ago. Every day that goes by, something else comes out and it gets changed again.

“There is a constant raising of the bar but they still have not reached an Olympic qualifying level - of three weeks mandatory isolated quarantine."

Mr Katter urged the Chief Medical Officers foremost to look after the health of Australians.

“We ask you please that you go forward and protect the citizens of our great country.

“We most certainly should make a contribution to saving the world, but saving the world to me is first saving the people of Cairns and Far North Queensland and my fellow Australians.

“That would seem to be a logical first step in saving the world."

Mr Katter is calling on the Federal Government to immediately implement a 21 day mandatory government isolated quarantine period for our health worker ‘saints’ returning from Ebola effected countries, instead of the current ‘self-regulated’ home quarantine. To date, the Government has ruled this out.