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The Liberals have called for clarity over COVID-19 messaging following health advice to increase mask use and work from home where appropriate.

Inconsistency in the government's messaging has made it harder for Australians to understand why changes are necessary, the opposition's health spokeswoman says.

"There has been quite a lot of mixed messaging out there. A lot of Australians are very fatigued about having to continually make changes in their lives," Anne Ruston said.

"It's really incumbent on all state and territory governments and the federal government to be really consistent in their messaging, making sure that Australians understand what it is they need to be doing."

Senator Ruston also called for more transparency about why health decisions were being made.

"The most important thing is making sure you're transparent with the Australian public about why you're making particular decisions," she said.

"Australians, as a general rule, are pretty good at doing the right thing, as long as they understand why they're doing it and the benefit not just to themselves, but to others."

The prime minister said a reintroduction of mask mandates wasn't on the table at the most recent national cabinet meeting amid concerns about an upcoming COVID-19 wave.

Anthony Albanese said the chief medical officer hadn't advocated for a mandate.

"The clear decision of the AHPPC, the peak body where you get all the state and territory chief health officers together with the chief medical officer, Professor (Paul) Kelly, haven't advocated that to me at all," he told the ABC on Thursday.

"The other thing you need to bear in mind is the mental health aspects of restrictions on people's behaviour.

"We need to get the balance right and I think that's something the chief health officers have borne in mind."

The comments come a day after Prof Kelly warned case numbers and hospitalisations would continue to increase.

"We are in for a new wave of this very infectious variant and we need to do some things differently, at least for a short period of time," he said.

"I have recommended that we need to increase mask use. We have left it there for others to consider the pros and cons of how to do that."

Mr Albanese also raised concerns about the enforcement of any mandates, which remain in place on public transport in NSW and Victoria.

"The question is, are people complying with them? There's no good having a mandate unless it's enforced," he said.

"Are there people jumping on trams here in Victoria and enforcing the rules and fining people? I don't know that that's happening.

"It's not happening in NSW."

There were 53,850 cases recorded across the country in the 24 hours to 6am on Wednesday.

More than 300,000 cases were recorded in Australia in the past week.

Based on modelling from health authorities, the winter wave was expected to peak in August and would likely be over by September, the prime minister said.

"Whilst we're seeing this surge is occurring, it's expected to continue to increase just over the next few weeks, but then decline next month and towards September," he said.

LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:

NSW: 13,829 cases, 25 deaths, 2210 in hospital with 55 in ICU

Victoria: 14,312 cases, 37 deaths, 875 in hospital with 46 in ICU

Qld: 11,687 cases, 10 deaths, 1034 in hospital with 21 in ICU

Tasmania: 1684 cases, two deaths, 193 in hospital with two in ICU

WA: 6960 cases, seven deaths, 459 in hospital with 22 in ICU

NT: 669 cases, no deaths, 70 in hospital with one in ICU

ACT: 1407 cases, one death, 165 in hospital with three in ICU

© AAP 2022

The prime minister says a reintroduction of mask mandates wasn't on the table at the most recent national cabinet meeting amid concerns about an upcoming COVID-19 wave.

Anthony Albanese has resisted calls from the president of the Australian Medical Association to mandate masks indoors amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations.

Dr Omar Khorshid said the winter surge impacting hospitals has left many sick Australians without access to healthcare as more than 5000 beds nationwide are occupied with virus patients.

But Mr Albanese says the chief medical officer hasn't advocated for a mandate.

"The clear decision of the AHPPC, the peak body where you get all the state and territory chief health officers together with the chief medical officer, Professor (Paul) Kelly, haven't advocated that to me at all," he told the ABC on Thursday.

"The other thing you need to bear in mind is the mental health aspects of restrictions on people's behaviour.

"We need to get the balance right and I think that's something the chief health officers have borne in mind."

The comments come a day after Prof Kelly warned case numbers and hospitalisations will continue to increase.

"We are in for a new wave of this very infectious variant and we need to do some things differently, at least for a short period of time," he said.

"I have recommended that we need to increase mask use. We have left it there for others to consider the pros and cons of how to do that."

Mr Albanese also raised concerns about the enforcement of any mandates, which remain in place on public transport in NSW and Victoria.

"The question is, are people complying with them? There's no good having a mandate unless it's enforced," he said.

"Are there people jumping on trams here in Victoria and enforcing the rules and fining people? I don't know that that's happening.

"It's not happening in NSW."

There were 53,850 cases recorded across the country in the 24 hours to 6am on Wednesday.

In the past week more than 300,000 cases were recorded in Australia.

Based on modelling from health authorities, the winter wave was expected to peak in August and would likely be over by September, the prime minister says.

"Whilst we're seeing this surge is occurring, it's expected to continue to increase just over the next few weeks, but then decline next month and towards September," he said.

Mr Albanese said he hoped the country would not be plunged into another lockdown, with chief ministers and state leaders arguing for economic constraints not to be re-implemented.

He said the impact of the current wave would be similar to that of summer earlier this year.

"It's pretty close to being the same at the moment, of where we were in January ... but the difference is this is a very infectious strain," Mr Albanese said.

LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:

NSW: 13,829 cases, 25 deaths, 2210 in hospital with 55 in ICU

Victoria: 14,312 cases, 37 deaths, 875 in hospital with 46 in ICU

Qld: 11,687 cases, 10 deaths, 1034 in hospital with 21 in ICU

Tasmania: 1684 cases, two deaths, 193 in hospital with two in ICU

© AAP 2022

There are calls to close the border with one of Australia's biggest trade partners amid warnings a single case of foot and mouth disease could halt the export industry overnight.

Opposition MPs Barnaby Joyce and Karen Andrews called on the government to consider shutting the border to Indonesia.

The government must do whatever it takes to guarantee foot and mouth disease does not enter the nation, Ms Andrews said.

"Let's not run the risk of foot and mouth disease coming into Australia," she told Sky News on Thursday.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt on Wednesday announced further biosecurity measures after viral fragments of the disease and African swine fever were detected in pork products at a Melbourne retailer.

A beef product being carried by a traveller was also recently seized at an Australian airport and later tested positive for viral fragments of foot and mouth disease.

While Australia remains free of the livestock disease, it has recently been detected in popular tourist destination Bali.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the country needs to hear from the prime minister on the issue.

"Australians need to hear that the prime minister is in charge of what is a very significant threat to our livestock industry into the broader economy," he told Sydney radio 2GB.

"We really need to hear from the prime minister today about what extra steps have been put in place, what additional support they're putting in our borders."

Senator Watt is urging travellers to take responsibility, clean their shoes and declare all meat products when arriving in Australia.

As an extra precaution travellers from Indonesia should throw their shoes away before boarding a plane, Mr Joyce said.

"You might say that's outrageous," he told Melbourne radio 3AW.

"I tell you what will be outrageous is when you go to pay for your shopping bill and instead of the big shop being $300 or $400, its six, seven or eight hundred dollars."

Mr Joyce also called for the Australian government to send agriculture students to Bali to carry out a mass vaccination campaign or buy its 2000-head cattle herd with public money and destroy them.

An immediate three-day standstill on livestock movements would be implemented if the disease were to reach Australia, Senator Watt said.

"There is a comprehensive plan that's been developed over a number of years between federal and state governments about how we manage outbreaks ... (including) movement controls."

A compensation scheme for farmers would also be put in place.

But the minister said his focus was making sure an outbreak never reached Australian shores.

"I feel very confident that Australia's world-leading biosecurity system stands us in very good stead to resist this outbreak arriving," he said.

Sanitation mats are being deployed at international airports for travellers from Indonesia to walk over in an effort to stop the disease entering Australia on their shoes.

Senator Watt met with his state and territory counterparts on Wednesday to discuss further biosecurity measures.

A proposal by the NSW government to develop a national, industry-led mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification system was discussed.

It would allow livestock to be individually traced in the event of an outbreak.

© AAP 2022