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ANDREWS DENIES VICTORIANS WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO RETURNThe state government has denied Victorians stranded overseas will be forced to wait longer to come home after it struck a deal that will see returning Tasmanians quarantine here.Under the deal about 330 Tasmanians trying to get back to Australian will be quarantined in Melbourne with their costs to be covered by the Tasmanian government.In return, Tasmania will quarantine 1500 Pacific Islanders, who will then come to Victoria to help combat a seasonal worker shortage that is threatening Victorian farmers.The worker shortage is threatening to cripple Victoria’s $8.5 billion horticulture industry that has left farmers begging the state government for the urgent approval of quarantine plans so they can hire some 25,000 Pacific seasonal workers pre-vetted by the federal government to help during the summer harvest.Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the first workers would be ready to hit farms by the end of February.And she denied the plans to quarantine returning Tasmanians would push Victorians to the back of the queue.
“Absolutely not. What we are doing, as agreed at national cabinet, we are increasing the number of people that we are bringing home and increasing our cap,” Ms Thomas said.“We are lifting our cap to enable the return of more Australians, including about 300 Tasmanians,” she said.“We are opening the door to many more returning Victorians.”Pacific Islanders coming here under the deal will first fly to either Brisbane or Melbourne where they will be processed by customs, then move to Tasmania where they will quarantine, and finally to Victoria.Ms Thomas said that was necessary because there was no international airport in Tasmania.“What works for Tassie and for Victoria is for Tasmanians and indeed other Australians returning home to fly directly to Melbourne, which has all the facilities in place in order to be able to quarantine,” she said.“Tasmania has offered to us is that they will take the Pacific Island workers who we know have a lower risk, we’re not seeing that the coronavirus is prevalent in the Pacific nations.“We’re certainly not going to put Victorians at risk.”Victoria’s Chief Health Officer and Tasmania’s Director of Public Health will finalise the conditions of quarantining seasonal workers and their countries of origin.Farmers will be left to finalise the necessary paperwork and approvals with the Commonwealth before workers begin to arrive in Tasmania.Daniel Andrews said the deal was a critical step in filling the worker shortage.“Victorian growers are facing a bumper crop this season, some for the first time in years,” he said.
“This arrangement isn’t a silver bullet in addressing this season’s challenges, but it will ease some of the pressure being felt by farmers.”Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said his state’s hotel quarantine program could now solely focus on arrivals who represent “a lower risk with regard to potential transmission of the virus”.“Our own requirements for seasonal workers will continue to remain the priority and will not be impacted by this agreement,” he said.“Under the Agreement with Victoria, Tasmania will assist Victoria to ensure it has the workforce it needs to harvest its produce, while still contributing to the national repatriation effort to bring our people home, ensuring more ofour stranded Australians can reunite with their loved ones.”Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud welcomed the state government’s plan but warned it was “too late and too late for some Victorian farmers”.“Until today, Victoria was the only state to not have an arrangement in place despite the program recommencing in August,” he said.“The Australian government will work with the Victorian and Tasmanian governments to facilitate the movement of these 1500 workers as quickly as possible.”Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh said the government had prioritised 1200 players and staff for next month’s Australian Open over Victorian farmers.“Our growers needed these workers months ago but today the Andrews Government today confirmed workers will only be made available over the first half of 2021,” he said“There’s still no detail on how much of the bill the agriculture industry will be forced to foot, raising serious questions as to the viability of Labor’s long overdue announcement.“Daniel Andrews could have adopted industry’s proposal in October last year to quarantine workers at a purpose-built facility in Mildura, but instead arrogantly denied farmers the workers they desperately needed.”Mr Walsh said a delay in getting workers on farms would force growers to make “the heartbreaking decision to destroy their livelihood or leave high-quality fruit and vegetables to rot”.“Farmers who have already been forced to watch a year’s work ploughed into the ground aren’t celebrating this announcement,” he said.BEEFED-UP BORDER PROTECTIONS FINALLY IN PLACEInternational travellers will finally be required to test negative to coronavirus before boarding a flight to Australia from Friday, after a two-week delay in rolling out beefed-up border protections.National Cabinet signed off on the plan at an emergency meeting on January 8, amid growing fears the UK’s new super strain could wreak havoc in Australia.But there was a two-week delay in implementing the requirement for all international travellers to test negative within 72 hours of their flight.Travellers will also have to wear masks.
One recent traveller said they were shocked when told they were not required to be tested before boarding.“I assumed the pre-flight testing requirement had already been introduced, spent $800 to have my family tested, and then was told it wasn’t needed,” they said.It comes amid a recruitment drive for a host of senior positions at COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria, as the state government prepares to run the quarantine program until at least November.The roles include an executive director who will co-ordinate quarantine for “major events”, including November’s Formula One Grand Prix.Grattan Institute Health Program director Stephen Duckett said he was surprised at the delay in implementing pre-flight testing.“Hopefully the government has used this time to actually work out policies around the testing requirement,” he said.Health authorities were this week scrambling to finalise advice for previously infected overseas travellers, who were still shedding the virus but wanted to come home.
The health department initially told travellers who received a positive pre-flight test result, but had recovered from the virus, they should not go to the airport because they would be prevented from boarding.“You should place yourself and your close contacts in isolation and seek further medical advice,” the department said.Health chiefs updated their advice following questions on how travellers shedding the virus could get home.Australians will now be able to fly home after a positive test if they can provide medical documentation showing at least 14 days had passed since the onset of symptoms, and it had been at least 72 hours since fever and respiratory symptoms had subsided.A federal health department spokesman said the government had been working closely with airlines and other aviation stakeholders to roll out the pre-flight testing.
TENNIS STAR TESTS POSITIVE TO COVIDThe Australian Open has its first positive COVID-19 player case that doesn’t involve viral shedding.Spaniard Paula Badosa announced she was the player in a Twitter post late on Thursday night.The world No.67 was on the Abu Dhabi flight that 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu’s coach, Sylvain Bruneau, revealed he tested positive on.“I have some bad news. Today I received a positive COVID-19 test result,” Badosa posted.“I’m feeling unwell and have some symptoms, but I’ll try to recover as soon as possible listening to the doctors.“I’ve been taken to a health hotel to self-isolate and be monitored. Thanks for your support. We’ll be back stronger.”The Herald Sun understands Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley briefed the players earlier on Thursday night about the news.It was the second of three Melbourne-bound charter flights that had a positive case on board, and all 64 passengers – including 23 players – have since been in hard quarantine and unable to leave their hotel room.There are 72 players in total in hard quarantine and eight active coronavirus cases tied to the tournament, and another from a steward on one of the charter flights.All previous player positives were cases of viral shedding.Badosa complained on social media after arriving about having to spend “14 days in a room that we can’t open the door and we can’t open windows!!!!! We can’t even breathe fresh air”.Bruneau, who tested negative before departing for Australia, issued an emotional statement at the time of his positive test, saying he was “extremely saddened and sorry” for everyone else who shared the flight.He added that he had followed all COVID-19 protocols and guidelines while in the Middle East.
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