The next sitting fortnight of federal Parliament is set to be cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has issued advice saying there is a significant risk allowing politicians to come to Canberra, due to increased community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria and the trends in New South Wales.
MPs and senators were to return to Parliament House for the first two weeks of August.
“The entry of a high-risk group of individuals could jeopardise the health situation in the ACT and place residents at unnecessary risk of infection,” Professor Kelly told the Prime Minister.
“In addition, the health risk to Members and Senators and their staff from other jurisdictions is a material concern.”
Professor Kelly said despite proposed mitigation measures, these risks would be significantly higher in the context of a Parliamentary sitting period because of the number of persons travelling from Victoria.
“The government cannot ignore the risk to Parliamentarians, their staff, the staff within the Parliament, and the broader community of the ACT that holding a Parliamentary sitting would create,” Mr Morrison said.
“I have written to the Speaker to request that the sitting fortnight commencing August 4th, 2020 not be held.”
-More to come
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