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Immigration Minister Scott Morrison told Parliament the Government was focusing its efforts on ensuring the virus did not spread to Australia.

“The Government has strong controls for the entry of persons to Australia under our immigration program from West Africa,” Mr Morrison said.

“These measures have been put in place in partnership with the Minister for Health, who leads the Government’s response.”

The minister told Parliament the country’s humanitarian program, along with the immigration program, had been temporarily suspended.

“These measures include temporarily suspending our immigration program, including our humanitarian program, from Ebola-affected countries, and this means we are not processing any application from these affected countries,” he said.

“We are ensuring all prior humanitarian entrants have been subject to three separate health checks before departure, as well as, on arrival, screening processes.

“And other permanent visa holders who haven’t arrived in Australia are being required to submit to a 21-day quarantine period prior to departure to Australia.”

Mr Morrison also confirmed all non-permanent or temporary visas would be cancelled.

“We are cancelling and refusing non-permanent or temporary visas from persons from Ebola-infected countries who haven’t departed yet for Australia,” he said.

“In August, Australian Customs and Border Protection services introduced a new profile to assist screening of arrivals into Australia and that has resulted in more than 830 matches who have been referred on for further assessment by other officers.

“None of those persons, I note, has been required to be referred to a hospital on their arrival.”

The Federal Government has been criticised by the Opposition, the Greens, and the Australian Medical Association over its response to the outbreak.

The Government has committed $18 million in funds to fight the disease, but has so far stopped short of sending medical teams to West Africa.

Health Minister Peter Dutton revealed Health and Immigration Department officials spent the weekend discussing Australia’s response.

Mr Dutton confirmed the Government had considered whether to send health workers to the region, but said no final decision had been made.

Source: www.abc.net.au