Funding offer hands lockdown control back to the feds
The funding offer gives the Commonwealth an element of consistency and control over the states it has long been seeking.
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The states and the Commonwealth argued for months last year over a nationally accepted definition of a COVID-19 hotspot to bring some consistency to lockdowns.
That is, a nationally consistent trigger for implementing a lockdown, for what duration and over what geographical area.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud and Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the temporary COVID payment on Thursday.
Alex Ellinghausen
It all came to nothing and each state, motivated by their individual domestic political considerations and often conflicting medical advice, went their own way.
The WA Premier says if the federal government was to create purpose-built quarantine facilities it makes sense to do it somewhere with an internationally capable airport.
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed a crew member of a ship docked at Kwinana has tested positive for COVID-19.
The man, aged in his 20s, originally disembarked from the vessel on Sunday for an unrelated medical condition.
It is understood the crew member is now in hotel quarantine after testing positive for the virus.
Premier McGowan says discussions are now underway with the Commonwealth government to facilitate in the departure of the ship from Australian waters.
“The state government’s very, very strong view is that the ship should sail as soon as possible,” he said.
“We’d like the ship to sail, go back to, I think it's to Malaysia, with the cargo and leave Western Australia as soon as possible.”
A man who arrived in Perth from Colombia via the US tested positive on May 23, and his neighbour at the Pan Pacific Hotel returned a positive result with the same strain on May 29.