The Daily Telegraph editorial: Serious issues with Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps’ medivac bill
Federal Parliament will likely vote this week on independent Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps’ medivac bill. If successful, Phelps’ bill would allow asylum seekers to be transferred from Manus Island and Nauru to Australia for medical treatment, once approval is granted by two doctors.
NSW
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Federal Parliament will likely vote this week on independent Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps’ medivac bill.
If successful, Phelps’ bill would allow asylum seekers to be transferred from Manus Island and Nauru to Australia for medical treatment, once approval is granted by two doctors.
A number of serious issues are involved here. Primarily, there is a great risk that the easing of medical transfer requirements from their current level would introduce a gap in Australia’s border defence wall.
The last time that wall was breached, due to the Labor government’s relaxation of border security, Australia saw the arrival of more than 50,000 asylum seekers. Tragically, around 1200 asylum seekers perished at sea during their voyages.
Another concern is the cost of running what very possibly would amount to vastly expanded medical transfer operations.
And a third concern, revealed in a case covered by today’s The Daily Telegraph, is that the kind of character test applied to visitors to Australia would not be in place for medical transfers.
Kerryn Phelps has already indicated that the need for medical treatment should be the sole criteria when deciding if an individual qualifies for Australian medical treatment.
Australians might reasonably ask if measures should be in place if a candidate for medical transfer is considered any form of security risk. They might also ask if taxpayer-funded flights and medical treatment should be extended to those inclined to disregard Australian law.
These questions are raised by a case due to be heard in Sydney this week.
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A 38-year-old Afghan asylum seeker will face court after being arrested and charged with common assault, sexually touching a person without consent and stalk or intimidate with intent to cause fear or harm.
The man was charged after allegedly grabbing two nurses while receiving medical treatment last month, during his first week in our country.
It is further alleged that when the two nurses he targeted reported the incident to guards, the man threatened to additionally assault both women.
Even alleged offenders are entitled to decent medical treatment, of course.
But the issue here is whether that treatment needs to be conducted in Australia or at existing medical facilities available on Nauru and Manus Island.
No rememdy for Tony Phobia
Everybody is entitled to have their say on any aspect of Australian politics, in exactly the same way that Australians are not prevented from discussing politics in other countries.
Ours is a free and open society.
That said, there is something creepy and obsessive about left-wing activist group GetUp!’s pursuit of former prime minister Tony Abbott in Warringah.
Abbott has been a backbencher since 2015. He holds no ministry. Yet GetUp!’s zealots are going after him as though Abbott is the most powerful political entity in the land.
Maybe GetUp! is simply frightened of the ex-PM.
Share burden, ease pain
Sydney is large and widespread enough that it should be able to cope with a reasonable level of increased housing development.
Development across all of Sydney’s suburbs would mean only relatively small population increases for each individual zone. It would also mean generalised, and therefore more easily dealt with, difficulties arising from construction.
But development is not spread evenly. Not even close. Instead it is hugely concentrated in Western Sydney.
Parramatta, for example, signed off on 2305 applications for houses or units in just five months to November 2018. During the same period, Mosman had just seven.
Some areas are clearly not carrying their share, and those areas are not in the west.
As social demographer Mark McCrindle points out, those living in Sydney’s richer suburbs have nothing at all to gain from development, and are “trying to preserve what they have’’.
Fair enough.
But they could at least pitch in just a little to help out their fellow Sydneysiders.
The Daily Telegraph, printed and published by the proprietor, Nationwide News Pty Ltd A.C.N. 008438828 of 2 Holt St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, at 26-52 Hume Highway, Chullora. Responsibility for election comment is taken by the Editor, Ben English.
Originally published as The Daily Telegraph editorial: Serious issues with Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps’ medivac bill
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