Published 17:05 IST, January 18th 2021
Australians want PM Morrison to rebuke MP over spreading COVID-19 misinformation: Survey
A majority of Australian population wants Prime Minster Scott Morrison to censure a Member of Parliament over COVID-19 disinformation, the latest survey said.
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A majority of Australian population wants Prime Minster Scott Morrison to censure a Member of Parliament over COVID-19 disinformation, the latest survey by a Think Tank has revealed. As per the poll published by Australia Institute on January 18, 76 per cent of Australians agreed that Morrison "has a responsibility to clearly and publicly criticize" members of his governing Liberal-National Party coalition who spread misinformation about the pandemic. The survey comes as caseload in the pacific nation rose to 28,721 out of whom 909 have died.
Earlier this month MP Craig Kelly, who hails from New South Wales, had likened the mandatory use of masks to child abuse. In social media post, he had opined forcing children to wear masks is causing massive physical & psychological harm-that can only be defined as child abuse.” The poll found that disapproval of Kelly was strong across party lines with 77 per cent of coalition voters agreeing that he should be censured.
'Publically condemn Kelly'
Australia, which comparatively curbed the spread of COVID-19, has witnessed coronavirus clusters time and again. Recently, a group of travellers who were quarantined in a hotel in Brisbane, Queensland tested positive prompting the governor to mull strict regulations. In the pretext of the same, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has previously called on Morrison to publicly condemn Kelly and others who were "torching the foundation of community health and science."
Meanwhile, the Australian state of Queensland is mulling to use mining camps as quarantine centres for incoming travellers, state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. Located on the country’s northeast, Queensland is battered by the recent surge in infection from the UK mutant of coronavirus and recently ordered people quarantining in capital Brisbane to repeat their isolation. Australia, which is facing economic sanctions by China, is also struggling to contain health crisis with 28,658 cases and 909 fatalities reported to date.
Updated 17:05 IST, January 18th 2021