Government considering Howard Springs as exclusive India quarantine facility

Government considering Howard Springs as exclusive India quarantine facility

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Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has told The Australian newspaper the federal government is considering a plan to use the Howard Springs quarantine facility solely for repatriations travellers from India.

© Provided by Sky News Australia

However, one concern raised about the proposal is the number of travellers the Northern Territory facility would be able to accommodate as capacity is yet to be boosted.

Both the territory and federal governments said accommodation was supposed to be ramped up to make 2000 beds available per fortnight from the beginning of this month.

Staff shortages, however, have stalled expanding the facility's capacity - with just 160 of 400 advertised jobs filled.

NT Senator Sam McMahon said accommodation "absolutely can't be ramped up to the 2,000 people at the moment because of the staffing issues".

"It would be foolish to try and ramp up the facility to 2,000 unless the required staff are there."