AMA accuses government of having its ‘head in the sand’ but PM says other countries have yet to commit to assist in evacuations of Australians

The AMA called on the Australian government to step in and provide assistance, saying the problem must be tackled at the source to ensure it did not spread.

Owler said he understood the government’s reluctance to send people into harm’s way and he was not calling for people to be deployed against their will, but some were willing to “do this dangerous work”.

“Unless we respond and control this with a global effort, unfortunately, the cases are going to spiral out of control,” he said.

Owler also called on Australia to review its preparedness to deal with cases here, after the second case in Texas raised the prospect that procedures and protocols had failed.

He said he was surprised that the government had not convened a meeting of experts to consider the Australia’s domestic and international response.