Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I'm adding to an answer in relation to the matter that was raised by the Leader of the Opposition, and I thank him for his comments on indulgence on that other matter. Austrade initiated the contract that he referred to to assist the reputational impact on Australia as a result of the bushfires. It was part of a broader allocation to DFAT at their request to counter negative sentiment that could damage Australia's economy. It was a package that was presented and recommended to the government by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The imputation in the Leader of the Opposition's question was to suggest that this was some sort of consumer marketing exercise. That is a false assertion. This was responding to the very careful advice provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We were responding to what was very important advice at a very critical time for Australian businesses.

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