Australia has been criticised recently for the way it has responded to the Ebola crisis. (Australia suspended entry visas for visitors from Ebola-affected countries and wouldn’t send health workers to fight the epidemic.)  Now, this week, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has contracted a private company to staff and operate an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone. Mr Abbott said, ‘We are not sending people over but we are ensuring there is a 100-bed treatment centre staffed and run in Sierra Leone by Aspen Medical, an Australian health provider.’ The Australian government has also committed A$2m to provide logistical support for Ebola teams in West Africa, and A$2m to help ensure that East Timor and Papua New Guinea can treat Ebola if any cases are reported there. Aspen will have some staff in Sierra Leone within days and the centre will be operational by the end of November. Australia’s UK partners have been building the centre.