Face of Nation : As a federal parliamentary committee prepares to release a report from its inquiry into the so-called Medevac repeal bill this week, Labor is sticking to its guns in supporting the initiative. The Medevac legislation allows the temporary transfer of patients in offshore detention centres for medical treatment or assessment, laws the Morrison government now wants to overturn.
“Labor stands by these laws and supports them,” opposition frontbencher Kristina Keneally told ABC television on Sunday. “We stand with the doctors in noting that Medevac is ensuring that people who are sick are able to get the medical treatment that they need.”
They believe the legislation has improved access to appropriate healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers being held offshore. “It allows medical experts to make decisions about health care for seriously ill individuals and ensure that they receive the medical treatment that they need in a clinically appropriate timeframe,” they say.
“Previous delays and failures to transfer ill asylum seekers resulted in preventable suffering.” The Australian Medical Association also weighed in with its support for Medevac and a process it has advocated for for years.
