Coronavirus: Bill Shorten among Labor MPs to break ranks on school closures

Several Labor MPs have broken ranks with Anthony Albanese and state premiers to argue in favour of school closures.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanes with Bill Shorten at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten is among Labor MPs who have broken ranks with Anthony Albanese and state premiers to argue in favour of the immediate closure of schools.

Labor MP Mike Freelander, a doctor from western Sydney, and Paterson MP Meryl Swanson told The Australian the closure of schools should not be delayed as the nation tries to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The Australian understands Mr Shorten has argued the party should come out in support of school closures, leading to private criticism from senior opposition figures given it was against the advice of Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy.

Sources say Mr Shorten voiced his support of school closures in a caucus phone hook-up on Tuesday.

The notion of federal Labor going alone on the policy was rebuked by opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen.

Dr Freelander, a paediatrician, said the government needed to move faster to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Dr Freelander said it was “impossible” to implement social distancing in some larger schools in his electorate of Macarthur, noting one school had 20 kindergarten classes.

“If we are going to do social distancing we need to do it early. We need to do it comprehensively. We need to do it hard. There is going to be pain. I think this is the only thing that is going to help us get on top of the curve,” Dr Freelander said.

“I think it is likely that children would spread the virus and if we are going to slow down the spread, and that is what we must do, then I think closing schools is the only thing that is going to work.

“There are ways we can accommodate essential workers, maybe have one school per district opened.”

Ms Swanson said schools should be run on skeleton staff to only accommodate children whose parents cannot work from home.

“It just doesn’t pass the pub test. You can’t have 100 people in a room but yet you still want kids to go to school,” she said.

MPs have raised issue with Mr Shorten announcing he pulled his children out of school earlier this week given it is not in line with official advice.

They say his proposal has been hypocritical given his active media presence in the past fortnight, which includes visiting Sydney, the Northern Territory and a school in his electorate.

“He’ll defy Labor premiers, medical advice and plain logic,” a senior Labor source said. “What’s a little pandemic to get in the way of a Shorten self promotion tour?”

Another senior MP said it was obvious Mr Shorten held out hope he could return as leader.

“It is so transparent,” one MP said.

Speaking on Sky News on Thursday, Mr Shorten demanded more restrictions on airports and sympathised with calls to shut schools.