Australian airport workers demanded a ban on flights from China end Jan 2020 but they were ignored, and Berejiklian went on to the Ruby Princess debacle

by Ganesh Sahathevan


At the end of January airport workers demanded a ban on flights from China, but they were ignored. The Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian and her government then went on to take the same careless attitude to cruise ship passengers, and now each and every household in NSW is suffering the consequences of her Ruby Princess debacle.  She should go, and her government and advisers must be held to account for the economic losses.

END


TO BE READ WITH

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Airport workers demand ban on flights from China: NSW Emergency Management Committee inaction needs explanation from Premier Berejiklian, and her SEMC chairman Andrew Cappie-Wood ;has Cappie-Wood again been busy playing politics while neglecting his job

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Results

Should Australia ban flights from China during the coronavirus emergency?

Yes

91%

No

9%

12229 Voters

News.com.au has just reported:

“Airport staff, including officers stationed at security checkpoints and facility attendants, may have no choice but to stop work, after being told they are not allowed to wear protective gear because this will make customers feel ‘uncomfortable’,” the United Workers Union said in a statement.

“In some cases, workers who have made a request to wear a mask have been threatened with disciplinary action.

“Access to basic hygiene, such as soap, has also been identified by security workers at Sydney Airport as a major cause for concern.”

The warning comes as the Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents airline and airport workers, demanded the Federal Government ban flights from China over concerns about the virus spreading.

“Suspending flights originating from China may appear to be a drastic measure. But the consequence of inaction could be even more drastic,” TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said.

“Air travel is the most efficient means for the virus to spread, and already has been integral to the spread of the virus to at least 18 other countries around the world.

“Until more information about this form of coronavirus is known, then the precautionary principle must apply.

“That means taking all possible steps to contain the virus and protect the Australian community.

“All flights from China must be suspended until this disease is under control.”

It is clear that the workers, and the public given the results of the on-line poll above, have little if any confidence in their leaders and their bureaucrats to keep them safe.

As reported on this blog last week, Sydney City failed to issue any alerts despite its Sydney City Lunar New Year celebrations becoming a security threat (see story below).

Despite the escalation in the crisis the NSW Emergency Management Committee has remained silent on the matter of the risks posed by the Sydney City Lunar New Year events, as has the Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Her SMEC chairman Andrew Cappie-Wood has also remained silent, again raising the question whether Cappie-Wood is again busy playing politics rather than doing his job.

Andrew Cappie-Wood sees himself as a player

in the NSW political arena.

ENDrealpolitikasia

Saturday, January 25, 2020

City of Sydney Lunar New Year 2020 Festival became an obvious security risk by mid-Jan if not earlier,but no warning from NSW Emergency Management Committee, Clover Moore and no screening at airports

by Ganesh Sahathevan


                                                                     

Lunar Year 2020 banners in Martin Place 

The City Of Sydney's annual Lunar New Year celebrations are designed to attract visitors from China. These probably add to the large number of visitors from China who arrive daily in Sydney via Sydney Airport.

On 22 January 2020 the  WHO had advised:

On 31 December 2019, WHO was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. The virus did not match any other known virus. This raised concern because when a virus is new, we do not know how it affects people.

One week later, on 7 January, Chinese authorities confirmed that they had identified a new virus. The new virus is a coronavirus, which is a family of viruses that include the common cold, and viruses such as SARS and MERS. This new virus was temporarily named “2019-nCoV.”

NSW Emergency Management Committee  is responsible for community  safety but it does not seem to have had anything to say.The same can be said of the Mayor,Clover Moore, and the Premier NSW,Gladys Berejiklian.

Additionally, while airports in the US stared screening to coronavirus on or about 18 January 2020 and Thailand as early as 3 January 2020, Sydney and other Australian airports have only just started screening late last week. 
All this despite having in Sydney an annual event designed to attract visitors from China. END 

See Also

Did NSW Emergency Management Services ignore its own data, and fail to advise David Elliot of the likelihood of catastrophic bushfires? Chairperson Andrew Cappie-Wood's advise requires scrutiny

China expansion in the SCS despite Wuhan Virus demands Australia respond with real attack submarines, not make belief French diesel electrics; stimulus funding better used in building infrastructure, technical know how to support Virginia class fast attacks subs

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Paramilitary policemen wear face masks as they march in formation into a pedestrian underpass next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Feb. 4, 2020.

The Australian Government says "Operation Gateway is Australia's enduring contribution to the preservation of regional security and stability in South East Asia. For Operation Gateway, the Australian Defence Force provides maritime surveillance patrols in the North Indian Ocean and South China Sea."

The reports below demonstrate why Australia requires an immediate attack submarine capability if it is to remain relevant to Operation Gateway.While the Australian Government is beset with confusion trying to provide a sensible response to the Wuhan Virus, the PLA continues with its South China Sea expansion. 

As reported on this blog, the Wuhan Virus is probably a force majeure event  with regards the DCNS/Naval Group "Attack Class" submarines.

The "Attack Class" nomenclature was an afterthought by the Australian Government to hide the fact that the subs are duds , and serves to illustrate why Australia should cancels the DCNS contracts and instead direct the savings  into a program for  leasing actual Virginia Class (Fast)  Attack submarines from the United States. 

The Wuhan Virus stimulus package can be used in part to finance the infrastructure required to support the new defence capability.  END 

To BE READ WITH 

Annotated map showing the path of five Chinese maritime militia ships passing through the Union Banks in the Spratly islands during the first three weeks of March, 2020.
Then, 
VOA has reported:

China held joint exercises March 15 with Cambodia despite risk of offending Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries that resent China’s military presence in the region. 

A Chinese fishing boat “militia” that has pestered the Philippines in the sea’s disputed Spratly Islands never went home in response to the coronavirus outbreak, said Carl Thayer, Southeast Asia-specialized emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

ALSO 
On 21 March 2020 the SCMP reported:

Chinese military aircraft recently conducted an anti-submarine drill over the 

South China Sea

, the 

People’s Liberation Army

 said on Friday, amid a growing number of patrols and exercises by US warships in the region.

The drill, which involved two aircraft, was conducted earlier this month, not long before the US naval and marine units took part in expeditionary strike force training in the disputed waters, the PLA Navy said in a report.

And from Manila:

While the world is turning topsy turvy over the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that started in China, it’s still business as usual for the Asian giant in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Two research stations were recently launched on two of China’s large man-made islands in the West Philippine Sea — Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) and Zamora (Subi) Reef, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on March 20.

China's mobile phone networks suffered unprecedented loss of 21 Million customers in Jan,Feb 2020 : Numbers suggest China has understated Wuhan Virus/Covid-19 deaths by a factor of 64

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Bloomberg has reported:
China’s wireless carriers are reporting drops in users as the coronavirus crisis cuts business activity, with China Mobile Ltd., the world’s largest carrier, reporting its first net decline since starting to report monthly data in 2000.



China Mobile subscriptions fell by more than 8 million over January and February, data on the company’s website show. China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. subscribers fell by 7.8 million in the period, while China Telecom Corp. has said it lost 5.6 million users last month.

1% of this rapid and unexpected decline is 210,000 or 64 times larger than the official 3,287 deaths attributable to the  Wuhan Virus/Covid-19 deaths reported by the Wuhan Virus,as at 26 March 2020. These numbers suggest that China has understated Wuhan Virus/Covid-19 deaths by a factor of 64. 

 China

Coronavirus Cases:

81,285

Deaths:

3,287

Recovered:

74,051

China’s Mobile Carriers Lose 21  Million Users as Virus Bites

By 

Shirley Zhao

23 March 2020, 16:27 GMT+11 Updated on 23 March 2020, 20:23 GMT+11

China Mobile leads drop with 8 million decline in subscribers

China Telecom, Unicom have also reported drops in users



China’s wireless carriers are reporting drops in users as the coronavirus crisis cuts business activity, with China Mobile Ltd., the world’s largest carrier, reporting its first net decline since starting to report monthly data in 2000.



China Mobile subscriptions fell by more than 8 million over January and February, data on the company’s website show. China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. subscribers fell by 7.8 million in the period, while China Telecom Corp. has said it lost 5.6 million users last month.



The rare industrywide slump in subscribers shows the pandemic crisis that first emerged in China late last year is crimping growth even at businesses that provide essential services and earn monthly revenue.



Victor Li Says Telecom a Bright Spot in Virus-Spooked World



Part of the drop could be caused by migrant workers -- who often have one subscription for where they work and another for their home region -- canceling their work-region account after the virus prevented them from returning to work after the Lunar New Year holidays that began in late January, said Chris Lane, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

China Mobile shares fell 2.7% in Hong Kong trading Monday, compared with a 4.9% slump for the benchmark Hang Seng Index. China Telecom slid 6.3%, while China Unicom declined 6.4%.

While the drop in users is unusual, the total is small relative to total wireless subscriptions which have risen to a combined 1.6 billion for the three carriers.

China Mobile Says Coronavirus Affecting 5G Network Expansion

Things may improve starting this month as work in factories and other businesses in China resumes, Lane said.

Net income fell 9.5% last year at China Mobile, partly on government mandates to cut prices and improve service. The company, which reported earnings last week, told analysts revenue would remain stable this year, a sign management was not worried about the fall in subscribers, Lane said.
(Updates number of lost users to reflect Unicom’s Monday report.)

END

Wuhan Virus/Covid-19 in NSW : Berejiklian will know from NSW Health data that only a few suburbs need to be locked down, but data is being ignored-Meanwhile the Premier's management is costing the economy billions

by Ganesh Sahathevan

The following has been reported by News.com.au: 

The areas in NSW hardest hit by the deadly coronavirus have been revealed by NSW Health as the nation braces for a stage three lockdown.

Among the locally acquired COVID-19 cases in NSW with an unknown source of infection, Hornsby, located on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, was equal to Sydney with the highest number of cases, between 5-9. Northern Sydney also ranks highest for the amount of tests undertaken at 12550.

The map below do not account for density. 

Picture: NSW HealthSource:Supplied

It is obvious that once density is accounted for, only a small number of areas need to be locked down. It is not rocket science, the data is readily available as is the GIS software needed for the calculations (which can be performed vey qucikly,as data changes). 

Premier Berejiklian has ignored the data, and chosen instead to make decisions that are costing billions in economic loss.

END 

TO BE READ WITH 

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Singapore's population density is 7 times that of Sydney but Spore has controlled Wuhan Virus without resorting to Sydney's billion dollar loss causing lockdown: Spore placed visitors from Wuhan & China under mandatory quarantine , NSW & Australia will not

Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy (right) and Health Minister Greg Hunt.

AAP-Murphy seemed more concerned about xenophobia and racism, but then he was probably seeking refuge in the WHO's International Health Rules.

Based on a total site area of 12,367.7 sq km, the current population density of the Greater Sydney area is 407 persons per sq km which includes a number of surrounding national parks. The built urban area is estimated at 4,064 square kilometres which translates to a density of 1,237 persons per square kilometre.Apr 26, 2018


The population density in Singapore is 8358 per Km² (21,646 people per mi²).

Sydney is subject to what s effectively a total lockdown in order to enforce separation of "social isolation", Singapore is not. Meanwhile Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy continues to insist that Australians need not worry about community contagion or spreading from this airborne virus. 
Singapore is continuing to trade, Sydney and the rest of Australia has warned that business will effectively be shut down for six months or more.
Singapore was one of the first places to ban incoming flights from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus originated. And it placed people coming into the country from countries affected by Covid-19 into mandatory quarantine.

Thousands of people flew out of Wuhan to cities around the world after the initial outbreak ,2,200 to Sydney. The Sydney arrivals were to be expected given the direct flights from Wuhan to Sydney (see below).

Australia imposed travel bans from and to China on 1 February 2020, two days after Singapore, but however did not impose mandatory quarantine, and even then ban seemed riddled with leaks and loopholes:
More than 31,000 Chinese students have made their way back to Australia after spending a fortnight in a third country, despite the government's travel ban.



Sydney workers and businesses are paying the price of the NSW and Australian Government's refusal to clearly identify and quarantine likely Wuhan Virus carriers from Wuhan and other parts of China. 


END



SEE ALSO 

Coronavirus travel ban eased for year 11, 12 students from China

1500 Chinese students beat travel ban - The Australian

 by Ganesh Sahathevan

Feb 23, 2020 - The broad ban on direct travel between China and Australia still remains (except for Australian citizens and permanent residents) but the ...

Sydney Airport welcomes new Wuhan-Sydney service

• New direct route from Wuhan
• Service expected to bring an additional 21,500 Chinese visitors per year
• Sydney Airport a world leader in Chinese long haul routes

Sydney Airport today welcomed a new direct China Eastern Airlines service from Wuhan, to coincide with Lunar New Year celebrations.

The Wuhan-Sydney route will have three-weekly services and will be operated by an A330-200 with 232 seats.

Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather welcomed the new route, which followed the introduction of new China Eastern services from Hangzhou and Kunming in 2016.

“We’re delighted to welcome the Wuhan-Sydney service, particularly as we celebrate Lunar New Year,” Ms Mather said.

“This new route provides direct access to the most populous city in Central China and a major business and transportation hub.

“The Wuhan service is expected to bring 21,500 visitors and $86 million in additional visitor expenditure per year, and provides additional capacity during this peak period for Chinese travellers.”

Wuhan is the provincial capital of Hubei and is located at the junction of the Yangtze and Hanshui rivers. It’s known as the exit point for Yangtze River boat cruises, with the river featuring several huge bridges up to 1.9km long.

Sydney Airport now serves 14 cities in mainland China, with Chinese passengers making up the largest group of foreign in-bound passengers to Sydney Airport.

China Eastern Airlines General Manager – Oceania Kathy Zhang said the new service provided more choice for Chinese passengers.

“With our new Wuhan services, China Eastern Airlines is pleased to now offer 26 weekly flights between China and Sydney,” Ms Zhang said.

“Together with our partner Qantas we currently offer 40 direct weekly services to six mainland Chinese cities from Sydney, providing more convenience than ever.”

China Eastern Airlines is China’s second largest airline measured by seats and part of the SkyTeam alliance. The new route further expands China Eastern Airlines’ joint venture partnership with Qantas, which also serves Sydney-Shanghai and Sydney-Beijing.

This year is the China Australia Year of Tourism, celebrating the relationship between the two countries and the importance of the China tourism market.

Sydney Airport has implemented a range of initiatives to welcome Chinese passengers, including Mandarin speaking Airport Ambassadors, signage and information available in simplified Chinese, support of events such as Lunar New Year, and appropriate retail, food and beverage offerings.

Flight schedule (all times local):

Wuhan (to commence 28 January 2017)

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: MU749 departs Wuhan at 2340, arrives in Sydney at 1330 the next day

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: MU750 departs Sydney at 2215, arrives in Wuhan 0545 the next day

China is using the worldwide Wuhan Virus chaos to consolidate power in the South China Sea: COVID-19 is now an obvious defence threat; Australian Govt stimulus must be redirected to the Armed Forces as a matter of urgency -Security of fuel and food at stake

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Annotated map showing the path of five Chinese maritime militia ships passing through the Union Banks in the Spratly islands during the first three weeks of March, 2020.

 RFA

Radio Free Asia has reported that "even as the coronavirus crisis sweeps through Asia, China continues to assert its presence in the South China Sea by deploying maritime militia around disputed islands and reefs in the Spratly island chain."

Zack Cooper, a research fellow specializing on Asian security issues at the American Enterprise Institute, said China was continuing with its assertive behavior in regional disputes despite the COVID-19 pandemic now commanding the world's attention.

“Beijing has stepped up military activity around Taiwan and now appears to be doing some of the same around Union Banks. Whether this is simply a continuation of previous activity or an intentional effort to use this distraction to put pressure on other claimants is unclear,” Cooper said.

Ship-tracking software indicates that five People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM) vessels – with the call signs Yuetaiyu (Fishing vessel) 18777, 18333, 18888, 18222, and 18555 -- passed in early March between China's reclaimed island at Subi Reef -- often a waystation for Chinese ships deployed to the region -- and Thitu Island, a Philippine-occupied feature where Chinese vessels have engaged in a sustained pressure campaign, as documented by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. The ships first stopped at Whitson Reef, in Union Banks’ northeast, from March 3 to March 8.

It is obvious that the Wuhan Virus presents defence as well as health and economic threats. It follows that the Morrison Government's growing multi-billion dollar stimulus package ought to be re-directed in part to the Armed Forces as a matter of urgency. Australia's supplies of fuel and possibly food are at stake.

END 

SEE ALSO 

PM Morrison can save billions by terminating the DCNS/Naval Group "Attack Class" submarine contracts : Covid 19 could be a Force Majeure event

COVID-19: Singapore can track carriers, but NSW's Premier Berejiklian unable to do so despite NSW Emergency Management Services expensive GIS facilities

by Ganesh Sahathevan

                                           Gladys Berejiklian seems more concerned with 
                                          sounding and looking stern, determined


As reported by Quint.com and others:

Trace Together is an app by the Singapore government that has already been installed by 620,000 people. This contact tracing app can identify people who have come within 2 metres of COVID-19 positive patient for at least half an hour using wireless Bluetooth technology.

In a bid to fight the global coronavirus pandemic, the Singapore government is now making the code for this app open-source, which means it can be modified and used by developers globally to trace people. It will help infected people track and identify who they have been in close contact with – an essential step in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Trace Together app is available on the Google Play Store and IOS app store in Singapore, but now that the code is available, expect new apps to come up in other markets.

Trace Together is an app that uses Bluetooth technology to detect when it is near another phone that has the app installed. Phones which have the app exchange anonymous IDs, which are encrypted and stored, even if you don't know the other person.

If any user gets infected with COVID-19, that person will be asked to give government or contact tracers access to the Trace Together data. This is a list of anonymous IDs that the person's phone has been close to.

The app says it doesn't collect any geo-location or any other personal data, which makes it data-privacy rule friendly. The anonymous IDs will help contact tracers track down people who have been in close proximity to the user. This will help quickly contain the spread of the disease.

The excuse in NSW is a lack of facilities, naturally blamed on a lack of funding.However, as reported in January, NSW has significant geospatial assets, which have been ignored if not under utilised.

END

TO BE READ WITH

Did NSW Emergency Management Services ignore its own data, and fail to advise David Elliot of the likelihood of catastrophic bushfires? Chairperson Andrew Cappie-Wood's advise requires scrutiny



January 04, 2020

by Ganesh Sahathevan



The NSW Government would have had, if not ought to have had more than sufficient warning that catastrophic bushfires were likely:

Spatial Services' Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU) ensures that the emergency management sector has the best spatial and related data available to deal with multi-agency emergencies, such as terrorism and natural disasters.

EICU was established as a counter-terrorist initiative. There is however a commonality in the data required by Emergency Service Organisations (ESOs) for bushfires, floods, earthquakes, storms, and law enforcement activities.

The EICU aims to implement and maintain a collaborative data sharing system on behalf of the emergency service organisations and the emergency management sector in general.

The EICU developed and now maintains the Emergency Services Spatial Information Library (ESSIL). The library combines data from over 200 source agencies supplying more than 11,000 spatial layers which are transformed into 350 seamless state-wide layers. These layers encompass all areas of emergency planning, response and recovery.

As shown before, spatial data is readily available in simple to comprehend forms.The data is freely available, often at no cost.

This is but one simple example. Up to date data may be purchased for a relatively low cost (where it is not free ) and from that data well researched, understood and long established algorithms can be applied to estimate fuel load, and hence the probability of a catastrophic fire event.

It is hard to imagine that the Spatial Services' Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU would not have had that data, and advised the relevant branches of the NSW Government accordingly. 

One  relevant department in this case would have been the the State Emergency Management Commit​​tee (SEMC) Emergency Management involves a range of programs and arrangements designed to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from the effects of hazards impacting on the community.

The State Emergency Management Committee was established under the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act 1989 to ensure that New South Wales has a system to cope with emergencies which is robust, effective and flexible enough to deal with the range of hazards experienced in New South Wales. A hazard impacting on the community may result in an emergency.

The SEMC is chaired by the recently retired head of the Department Of Justice,Mr Andrew Cappie-Wood, whose job it is to advise his minister, Minister for Emergency Services The Hon. David Andrew Elliot.

Mr Cappie-Wood is not shy of publicity. It is time we heard from him with regards the bushfire catastrophe and it is time for David Elliot to explain what he did or did not know about the impending emergency. 

END