CANBERRA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has described the nation's domestic border closures as cruel.
Frydenberg on Sunday called for more common sense in the administration of border closures, saying that current restrictions were "inexplicable."
It comes after the death of an unborn twin after a pregnant woman from Ballina in northern New South Wales (NSW) was forced to travel about 750 kilometers (km) to Sydney for medical care instead of about 200 km to Brisbane in Queensland because of the border closures, according to The Australian report.
"There's too much confusion and, and ultimately too much cruelty, in the way that the borders have been closed. And what we need is more compassion," Frydenberg told Sky News Australia.
"It's inexplicable that a mother can lose their child because of confusion as to how they can access a hospital in Brisbane.
"Those jurisdictions have got questions to answer when it comes to the operation of their borders because what we can't see is people being denied medical treatment."
When asked about the tragic death of an unborn baby, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles on Saturday said the border restrictions were "clear" that those requiring medical care were allowed to cross the border.
"This last 24 hours, watching politicians use this tragic event to further their political arguments ... it makes me sick," he said.
As of Sunday afternoon there had been 25,670 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 125, according to the latest figures from Department of Health.
The national death toll has risen to 611 after authorities in Victoria, Australia's hardest-hit state by the COVID-19 pandemic, confirmed 11 new deaths on Sunday, nine of which were linked to aged care facilities.
Of the new cases, Victoria confirmed 114. New South Wales confirmed seven new cases and Queensland another four. Enditem
