Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Grayndler for giving us the opportunity to speak about the government's leadership on the issues that matter to everyday Australians. This government is leading the way on many important issues. This government shows leadership on the economy, fire and drought. But I would like to speak about the Morrison government's world-leading response to the coronavirus.

One of the privileges of being a member of this government is seeing firsthand the tireless work of the Prime Minister and his ministerial team. I would like to thank the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. In these difficult times he has shown exemplary leadership. The first job of any Prime Minister is to ensure that Australians are safe, and this is exactly what the Prime Minister has done. He has taken advice from our top health officers and has made decisive decisions to ensure that every Australian is kept safe. He is responsive when I send him a text about this coronavirus issue; he calls me within minutes. He listened when I told him that people coming back from China would self-isolate and that other people would deliver essential food and other things. He cares, he listens, and he praises them. And he wants me to pass this message to them. He cares so much that he wants to make sure that people affected by the virus know what's going on. He has regular WeChat updates to let people know that they don't need to panic: Australians are in good and safe hands. Australians can go about their day freely, knowing that they are safe from the coronavirus because of the decisions of this government.

I would also like to acknowledge the leadership shown by the Australian foreign minister, Senator the Hon. Marise Payne. Without her tireless work 243 Australians would still be in China, in lockdown. Her actions have made sure that a pregnant woman is safely here with her partner in Australia. I would also like to acknowledge the leadership that Minister Payne has shown in negotiating with the Chinese government to ensure the safe return and the safe assisted departure of people who are locked down in China. I understand that she is also doing the negotiation to help the second lot of people to come back to Australia.

I would not be able to speak on leadership without acknowledging the health minister, the Hon. Greg Hunt. His leadership in these difficult times has been outstanding. He has kept me up to date about the coronavirus on a regular basis, and I want to thank him for that. Not only that, he has also been updating the public through media conferences. People would know exactly what is happening and would know that they don't need to panic. It is a global emergency on health, but Australia is ready.

I would also like to mention the leadership shown by the Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan. He has been dealing with this matter by helping international students know exactly what they can do. And this is not to mention the work that the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs and his department have been doing, handling hundreds and thousands of inquiries from visa holders—whether student visas, temporary visas or working visas. There are many concerned people and their families, and these are handled very well by the department.

I just want to say that the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and his leadership team have ensured that Australia is well equipped—

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