Port Hedland Commissioner Fred Riebeling: It’s in Australia’s best interest to look after Pilbara mining port

A coronavirus-plagued cargo ship anchored off the Pilbara coast could spell disaster for the mining industry if COVID-19 spreads into the community, according to the head of Port Hedland’s local government. The Hedland Hotel has been transformed into a fortress, with the 12 Filipino crew members from the Patricia Oldendorff bulk manganese carrier isolated, and fencing set up around the hotel. Speaking to Jenna Clarke on The West Live on Monday, Port Hedland Commissioner Fred Riebeling said it was in Australia’s best interests to ensure an outbreak doesn’t spread into the community. “This single little port in northern Western Australia produces $300 million dollars every day for the Australian economy,” he said. “$300 million it is a staggeringly large amount of money. And if that stops, if the virus gets out into the Hedland community, you think that that whole industry would be at risk, and we just cannot let that happen. “And I'm positive the authorities, the experts that are running it, won’t let that happened,” he said. Two crew members have tested positive, and the other 10 quarantined, but Mr Riebeling described the ship like a “devil’s island”, if one person gets it, they’ll all get it. It’s understood the crew being quarantined will stay in Port Hedland until they’re virus-free, then be sent back to the Philippines, while a crew will be sent from the Philippines to board the ship. But while the infected crew isolate in Port Hedland, there are concerns from the Australian Medical Association about the people watching over them, the security guards. AMA WA President Andrew Miller said he wants to see the training and credentials of the people watching over the isolating crew members, saying he’s nervous not only about the situation unfolding in Port Hedland, but also about the shipping industry in general. “I guess I'm pretty guarded at the moment and waiting to see why it is that they think they're going to be more effective,” he said. “I understand the minister’s saying that, look, the security guards have had training in infection control. But what does that mean? Does that mean you've got low paid guards who have done a an online course?” “To be honest, if was the Premier, I'd probably be out there looking at the ship myself. And as far as the Health Minister, I'd be up there looking at the hospital myself, because those are the things they're going to bring their careers. “And what we don't want is for Port Hedland hospital to be found wanting and cause cross infection to the staff and the locals there. “And as (national AMA president) Omar Khorshid has quite rightly pointed out, this is a particularly vulnerable population, an Indigenous group up there who used that hospital as well as the other towns, people who might have co-morbid conditions.” Mr Riebeling said it was understood WA Police are in charge of the security at the moment, but a private firm is expected to take over in the coming days. He said he was confident WA won’t see a repeat of Melbourne’s security disaster. “I'm presuming that errors that were made in other States won't be made. Here this, we've been running isolation, in hotels in Western Australia for considerably long period of time,” he said. “And all those all has gone well, I don't see why it should be any different in Port Hedland by flying teams up from Perth, and you know, where all the can be done is being done.”