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Greens senator Richard di Natale seeks government support for Ebola fact-finding trip
Greens Senator Richard di Natale is seeking the Abbott government's support to travel to West Africa on a "fact-finding mission" to examine the international response to the Ebola virus.
Senator di Natale, the Greens health spokesman, who previously worked as a public health specialist, wrote to Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop on Wednesday to seek government assistance for the trip.
"Like many other health professionals, I have serious concerns about the adequacy of the international response to the Ebola outbreak and such a trip would provide a unique opportunity to assess the challenges posed by this crisis," he wrote.
In the letter, Senator Di Natale says he would fund the trip privately but requested Australian government consular support, and assistance with visas and arranging meetings with international bodies such as the World Health Organisation and the United Nations.
Before entering Parliament, Senator Di Natale worked on HIV prevention in India and with a state health department as part of its outbreak investigation team.
Dan Harrison is Health and Indigenous Affairs Correspondent for Fairfax Media. He is based in Canberra.Connect via X or email.