One of the very many troubling consequences of the COVID19 pandemic is the decision of some Australian authorities to abandon a commitment to basic human rights and the rule of law either by denying, or not facilitating, access to medical care.
Access to healthcare is a basic human right. Australia is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is therefore bound by the International Health Regulations 2005. Those international regulations impose duties on countries to provide...
Cases of COVID-19 are growing around the world. Inevitably, in a pandemic, all human populations will sooner or later begin to record cases of the illness.
However, despite the pandemic, seafarers still continue to present a very low risk of COVID-19 transmission. Of all the many thousands of cargo ships that have called at Australia, delivering vital supplies such as foodstuffs and medical equipment, only two vessels so far have had COVID-19 aboard.
Nontheless, we can expect that there will be...