Living on the edge: The Aussies left in no-man’s land by border closures
The federal government is urging state premiers to address healthcare and food supply impacts from border closures.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says state border closures have had serious unintended consequences on agricultural supply chains and regional Australians’ wellbeing.
Among examples of those whose healthcare has been affected, he says cancer patients in Tenterfield are unable to access treatment in Queensland and a heavily pregnant woman in Moree has been declined a permit to visit Toowoomba to visit her obstetrician.
Agricultural impacts include a Victorian pastoralist being unable to get to Broken Hill to feed and water her 500 cattle, and the flow of silage contractors and grain harvesters being halted between Queensland and NSW.
“State health officials need to engage specifically with regional communities and industries at the direction of the premiers to identify workable solutions that keep supply chains open,” Mr Littleproud said in a statement on Friday.
“Keeping all of our agricultural supply chains secure is absolutely critical to ensuring supermarket prices for fresh products remains affordable for Australians, while maintaining some of the best animal welfare standards in the world.”
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham says travel restrictions should be proportionate to the risks of coronavirus across different states.
He’s urging Australians to travel if they can, to help the domestic tourism industry which has taken a $12 billion hit.
“That’s shocking news for so many small and medium businesses around Australia,” Senator Birmingham told the ABC.
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“Get out there and pretend that you’re overseas and do the types of things you would do overseas whilst travelling around Australia.”
Senator Birmingham says he hasn’t given up hope on a travel bubble with New Zealand by the end of the year, but he understands both nations are focusing on outbreaks.
“I don’t think anybody should expect there will be a breakthrough in the next few weeks or couple of months,” he told Sky News.
“As we get closer to the Christmas period the calls for many people to be able to connect with family and loved ones will get greater.
“If it can be done with the concurrence of both countries we would love to see that breakthrough.”
Specialist doctors say they’re terrified Tweed Hospital will be forced to close if the State Government takes a hard line stance on Queensland’s border.
Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young has warned residents and local hospitals the border may be slammed shut if coronavirus cases in NSW creep north.
Intensive Care Specialist at Tweed Hospital and Chair, Medical Staff Council, Dr Mike Lindley-Jones said that would have a detrimental effect on the healthcare of patients.
“It would be absolutely catastrophic, the hospital wouldn’t be able to function,” Dr Lindley-Jones said.
“My guess is the majority of the hospital would close because large numbers of staff live north of the border.
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“Seven operating theatres, the emergency department, the obstetrics all of those services would struggle to keep going.
“Unless there was an exemption of course for health care staff.”
Dr Lindley-Jones said he fully supported measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but a hard border closure would cause significant staffing problems at the 250-bed hospital.
“Forty per cent of people who are treated at Tweed Hospital come from Queensland.”
Dozens of permanent and casual paramedics who live in Queensland and work in Northern New South Wales have also been affected by the border closure.
Tweed MP Geoff Provest said both organisations have been juggling their rosters in order to create crews who can operate in the “bubble” and still go home to their families in Queensland without having to quarantine for 14 days in government accommodation at their own expense.
“Their [Ambulance NSW] Assistant Commissioner has assured us that they’re rostering around that to make sure that the people who live in Queensland only work in the bubble and they’re bringing in extra troops to facilitate any shortfalls,” he said.
Around 200 hundred hospital staff working in Northern New South Wales hospitals have been unable to work this week because of the sudden border closure with Queensland.
Northern NSW Local Health District chief executive Wayne Jones said the new border rules had been disruptive and challenging.
Mr Jones said they have had to call on more locums and rely on workers doing more overtime to cover the affected workers.
“We are not seeing a great deal of impact on hospitals like the Tweed and Murwillumbah, [but] we have approximately 200 staff who work below the bubble … in Byron, Ballina and Lismore who live in Queensland and have been impacted,” he said.
Mr Jones said northern NSW health officers were making contingency plans in case Queensland imposed a full border lockdown.
“It will cause disruption, there is no disputing that. If we move to a complete border lockdown we will have to look at workforce options,” he said.
Earlier this week, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young asked border community residents to start preparing for the possibility of a full border lockdown.
“It is really important that all those people who live along our border, whether in Queensland or in New South Wales, think what is the next step if we have to close the border to everyone in New South Wales,” she said.
-AAP; additional reporting ABC
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