Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter has been given an exemption to leave self-isolation in Canberra to attend Parliament and a ceremony at the High Court.
ACT Health asked anyone who was in Perth or the Peel or South West regions of Western Australia since January 25 to isolate from 2:00pm today after a hotel quarantine security guard tested positive to COVID-19 yesterday.
The case plunged Perth and the other areas into a five-day lockdown starting from 6:00pm on Sunday.
The directions meant a number of federal politicians who arrived in Canberra last night ahead of the first sitting week of the year were sent into self-isolation for five days as they waited for clarification from ACT Health about whether they could return to Parliament or not.
But today the ACT's Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman confirmed MPs would be eligible for exemptions.
"So they all need to apply individually and they are assessed on their merits."
Dr Coleman would not discuss the details of Mr Porter's exemption.
"We have been working with the Attorney-General. However, as directed, the public health direction is not coming in place until 2:00pm at the moment, so everybody who has currently quarantined is doing so on the goodness of their heart," she said.
"And we have been working with the parliamentary office on keeping everyone safe in that interim time."
Mr Porter's office said he was given an exemption that allowed him to attend a High Court ceremony to welcome Justice Simon Steward, who was one of two new appointments announced last year.
A spokesman for Mr Porter said the minister received the exemption after returning a negative COVID test and had not been to any of the potentially affected sites in Perth.
The advice for MPs who are applying for exemptions still requires them to take caution and limit social interactions as much as possible.
"You should not attend any public places, such as cafes or restaurants, gyms, or attend any public events."
The advice also recommends people minimise activities, maintain physical distancing rules and wear masks where that cannot be maintained.
