Media Release

In light of today’s media reports that a US health worker has contracted the deadly Ebola virus despite wearing protective clothing, KAP Leader and the Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has requested meetings with Senior Government Ministers and the Red Cross to ensure Australia’s preparedness to manage potential Ebola cases - including pushing for mandatory isolated quarantine.

Mr Katter believes current Australian quarantine processes for Ebola are inadequate and is calling on the Federal Government to immediately implement a 21 day mandatory isolated quarantine period for our health worker ‘saints’ returning from Ebola effected countries, instead of the current ‘self-regulated’ home quarantine.

“The many health authorities we have been in contact with may have got an ‘A’ in medicine, but they would get a ‘Z’ in logic.

“To provide a higher quarantine level on animal diseases, or animals entering Australia from overseas, than on this disease is quite extraordinary,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter has today formally requested meetings with the Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop; the Health Minister, Peter Dutton; the Immigration and Border Protection Minister, Scott Morrison and the Red Cross to ensure an effective and acceptable protocol to deal Ebola is implemented in Australia.

“The current so called protocol consists of ‘will you please stay at home for three weeks?’

“I wouldn’t consider it a protocol at all,” Mr Katter said.

“The US health worker who treated the US patient that died of Ebola is reported as having worn a complete and impervious membrane, yet still contracted Ebola.

“Compared with America, on a scale of one to 10 Australia gets a one,” Mr Katter said.