Topics: Quarantine for ADF members returning from overseas; 20th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attack; Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation; National Women’s Summit.
NEIL BREEN: Home Affairs Minister, MP for McPherson, Cabinet Minister Karen Andrews. She’s on the line. How are you, Minister?
KAREN ANDREWS: I’m well, Neil. How are you?
NEIL BREEN: I’m well, thanks. I’m hoping that you can add some clarity to the situation. The Courier Mail revealing today that Australian soldiers in the Afghan rescue mission are stuck in Dubai waiting for the Queensland government to grant them hotel quarantine exemptions. They don’t want exemptions in that they want to go home quarantine; they want to come back to Queensland and have the same arrangement the NRL WAGs got – in that they’re in hotel quarantine in a hub; meaning they can socialise together. They wanted to book rooms at the Mercure Hotel and the Queensland Health Minister, Yvette D’Ath, overnight said, “Yes, we’re working this out.” But I don’t know what’s happening. Can you fill us in with what’s happening here?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, it certainly seems as if it’s a very reasonable request from the ADF. In Queensland there is a precedent that the NRL players’ and WAGs came in not so long ago – they got some arrangements in Queensland – so on the face of it there’s a precedent and it’s a reasonable request. What I should say is that in respect of our international borders there’s absolutely no issues with the ADF coming back in; they are automatically exempt. So now it’s just a case of organising with – in this case Queensland – opportunities for them to be able to quarantine. That’s not asking to be exempt from quarantine. All these people have – quite frankly – put their lives on the line for Australia; in some cases many times in the past. So I am surprised there’s any dithering at all from the Queensland government on this – if that is the case.
NEIL BREEN: Obviously what’s happened here is that after the arrangements were revealed, in that the quarantine for the NRL people and also for the Australian female cricket team and the Indian women’s cricket team – because they hire their own rooms, even though the government tells them which hotel to hire them in – they’re not stuck in the room, they’re inside a bubble in which they can socialise with each other. So the ADF said, “Well, we’ll have that” and it’s been with the government for five days. Karen Andrews, I am sorry do this to you, but I just want to play our Health Minister, Yvette D’Ath, who our newsroom spoke to very recently:
[Excerpt]
YVETTE D’ATH: It’s really disappointing to see in today’s paper because it’s just factually not correct. The Chief Health Officer’s been working with the Australian Defence Force since last Friday. They’ve been almost daily. And the reason why the details are being worked out is the ADF don’t want to go into normal hotel quarantine; they’d like a dedicated hotel where they can have more bubble arrangements so that the Defence Force personnel can move around more freely, for their own wellbeing. And we are absolutely supportive of that. So, we’ve been working through what that would look like, and they’ve been sourcing a hotel. The information I have as of yesterday the ADF secured the Mercure Hotel on the Gold Coast. They’re submitting their quarantine management plan today and we’re expecting around 300 Defence personnel to arrive any time from Friday.
[End of Excerpt]
NEIL BREEN: She said they’re working through the arrangement for five days… Well, they’ve already got the arrangements, they gave it to the NRL. You just tell the ADF: “do this.”
KAREN ANDREWS: You would think it would be a relatively straightforward solution. My view is very clear: these people – the ADF – they’re coming in from Afghanistan; they’ve worked hard to get as many people back as they possibly can; the Federal Government has the welcome mat out for them, and the Queensland government clearly should as well.
NEIL BREEN: Okay. This week marks the 20 year anniversary of September 11, if you can believe it. The world’s changed a lot in that time, hasn’t it Karen Andrews?
KAREN ANDREWS: In many ways it has changed. Unfortunately, what hasn’t changed dramatically is the threat that we still continue to live with; terrorism. So yes it is 20 years – and many people would remember exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time they heard about the first plane going into the towers in New York. It was a terrible, terrible incident and 10 Australians lost their lives in that. A lot of work has been done to protect us in Australia against the threat of terrorism. Our threat level is currently at ‘probable’; it went to probable in 2014 and has remained there. I don’t say this to frighten people; I say this because we need to be constantly vigilant about the threats to our way of life, because there are individuals and organisations that do want to do Australians harm.
NEIL BREEN: Talking about individuals who want to do harm – you wrote about it on the weekend –it’s the various consequences of the lockdowns, and the way we’re living at the moment. The dramatic rise in online grooming and child sexual exploitation. To be honest with you, I actually spoke to my own daughter; I talk to her about it a lot but yesterday I sat with them, because kids are on computers so much nowadays for learning and there are pretty bad people out there.
KAREN ANDREWS: There are some terrible people out there and they do absolutely terrible things to others and particularly our children. The situation has become much worse during COVID; people have got more time at home; much more time online. They’re looking at things they shouldn’t be doing; they’re purchasing things they shouldn’t be purchasing; it’s just an appalling situation at the moment. I really do thank the Australian Federal Police – amongst others – they have done some fantastic work through the Australian Centre for Countering Child Exploitation – the ACCCE – which is set up in Brisbane and has done some fantastic work through there. Just in the 12 months up to June this year, there were more than 22,000 reports of child sexual exploitation. I mean, that is an extraordinary and unacceptable number. I’m pleased it has been reported, but the fact there is that many to be reported – and more beyond that, because clearly not everything would be reported… it’s just an appalling figure.
NEIL BREEN: The National Women’s Summit in Canberra this week, I’ve been dreadfully disappointed by it; I think it’s been poor; I think it should never have been in Canberra. As soon as it was put in Canberra it was always going to be hijacked by special interests and the left media. When, in actual fact it should be about protecting from violence. I’m talking about governments via legislation; the police then have the tools to act with; and also a change in police attitudes so when a lady turns up at the front counter of the police station and says, ‘My ex-husband’s been threatening me. I think he’s going to come and burn me alive,’ and they do nothing and he ends up coming back and burning her alive. Magistrates to get fair dinkum and in the real world, and for the court system in general – for lawyers – to get their heads out of their own bums and understand what’s happening on the streets. That’s the level it needs to be at. Instead, all I read is bagging the Prime Minister and ‘this whole thing is a farce’.
KAREN ANDREWS: What you’ve just said in terms of the areas that we – we as individuals rather than politicians – and society need to start looking at, is actually very broad, and it is actually at the grassroots level that we need to start making some of those changes and making sure not only are we listening to the right people and having the right conversations, but society as a whole understands the need to change. Sometimes that comes out of a summit – I would say maybe the summit is the first step – but those conversations have to be continued out in the community. We have to talk to people who are responsible for violence against women; we have to make them understand that is not okay; we have to educate all of our society that it’s not okay; we need to support women to make sure they are in a position to be able to report the actions to stand up and to make a new life.
NEIL BREEN: Less bail and more jail – that’s what I say.
KAREN ANDREWS: A lot of people would absolutely agree with you on that one, Neil.
NEIL BREEN: Well, we might get there one day. Home Affairs Minister, thanks so much for your time today. Are you still in home quarantine?
KAREN ANDREWS: Yes, I am. I’m here until the end of next week.
NEIL BREEN: What’s in Karen’s ‘quarantine survival pack’? What are the essentials?
KAREN ANDREWS: I’m actually drinking lemon and ginger tea right at the moment. It’s getting me through the days. I’ve given up coffee – let’s hope that’s a good thing!
NEIL BREEN: Why did you do that?
KAREN ANDREWS: Because I thought – to be honest – 10 cups a day was a bit excessive. I’m a bit of an ‘all or nothing’ sometimes.
NEIL BREEN: Ten a day? Enough said! Talk to you next week; enjoy lockdown.
KAREN ANDREWS: Okay. Thanks. Take care.