Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Listening to the government over recent days their political tactics have become clear. In order to distract from their shortcomings, particularly in relation to aged care, they launch partisan political attacks on state governments. Apparently we're all in this together until it suits the Prime Minister not to be. Apparently the national cabinet is an important non-partisan decision-making body until it suits the Prime Minister to put it in the bin and launch an attack on state premiers.

If the Morrison government really wants to have a debate about shortcomings in relation to COVID-19 we're happy to have it. Let's bring on a discussion about the respective responses of governments in Australia to COVID-19, because back when Dan Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian were suggesting that this needed to be taken more seriously, that we needed sharper lockdowns, that we needed more action, the Prime Minister was going to the football. That's what this Prime Minister was doing—sending the wrong messages to the Australian people when the premiers of the two largest states were sending different messages. Premier Berejiklian said it herself: 'Premier Andrews and I did talk and both of us had similar concerns representing the two largest states. We felt we had to act quickly and strongly and I'm glad we did.' She was right then, Premier Andrews was right then and Prime Minister Morrison was wrong then. If we want to have this discussion, let's have it.

This is a government which says we're all in it together unless you're from Western Australia, unless you're a premier trying to defend your borders, unless you're a premier trying to keep your state safe. Then this government cosies up with their preference buddy and launches an attack on Western Australians and the Western Australian government. They should be ashamed of themselves. They pulled out when it was too late, when the damage was already done.

At least Premier Palaszczuk, who was attacked as late as today in this chamber—it's only rhetorical, at least they're not taking her to court. When the Prime Minister and Treasurer said that Premier Palaszczuk should open her state's borders to Victoria she was right and they were wrong. They need to be reminded of that regularly. Premier Palaszczuk was correct. Premier McGowan is correct.

On this side we've supported all the premiers making the actions they've had to take—all the premiers, regardless of partisanship. They've had to take tough decisions. They've needed to know that we've got their backs, and we've given them that. The other side of politics has played partisan politics. When the nation needed leadership they got politics from them.

We'll have a discussion about shortcomings. When it comes to shortcomings none are greater for this government than aged care. As was outlined by my friend the member for Franklin very well yesterday, these are people who built Australia. These are people who raised us and our nation and who in their retirement just ask to be looked after, just ask to be kept safe, just ask to be kept healthy and just ask to be kept alive. And they've been let down.

Latest figures are that 335 have died on our watch as a parliament. It is one of the highest death rates as a proportion of COVID-19 in the world—as much as the Prime Minister might want to deny it, as much as the minister at the table just denied it then—as the royal commission heard. We entered this pandemic in aged care from a position of weakness. The government says, 'Of course elderly people are more exposed.' Yes, we agree. That's the point. That's why we needed to be better prepared. That's why we shouldn't have had the budget cuts which this Prime Minister imposed, as much as he denies it. That's why we need an aged-care minister who's up to the job. This Prime Minister showed a lack of judgement in appointing somebody who's not up to the job, who's not in the cabinet and who can't do the job that Australia requires of him.

We know that this government ignored the warnings. Newmarch House, where 19 people died, should have been a warning to this government. Counsel assisting put it well. He said:

… there is reason to think that in the crucial months between the Newmarch House outbreak in April and mid-June a degree of self-congratulation and even hubris was displayed by the Commonwealth Government. Perhaps they were reflecting the general mood in the country that we were through it.

…   …   …

The time between the two Sydney outbreaks and the increase in community transmission in Melbourne in June was an important period … What did the Commonwealth do to ensure that the lessons of the first two … outbreaks … were conveyed to the aged care sector. We say it's not enough.

That's what counsel assisting says, and we agree. We'll have the debate about shortcomings. We'll have the debate about shortcomings on the vaccine.

This time last week the Prime Minister was out there congratulating himself on every morning TV and radio program, announcing that we had a deal, that Australia had secured a deal to get the vaccine. Well, it wasn't true then and it's not true now. There is no deal. Other countries have deals. The United Kingdom entered their first deal in mid-May, signed and sealed—not a letter of intent, not good intentions, not hopes, not aspirations but a signed deal. The United States, which I must say has not covered itself in glory in response to this pandemic, has, at least, secured six deals—six advance supply agreements for vaccines. The United Kingdom's got five, Japan's got three, Indonesia's got one, Brazil's got one, Mexico's got one, Argentina's got one. Australia's got zero. There have been more than four billion doses of the vaccines under development accounted for by these advance supply agreements. We haven't got any. We've got none. The Prime Minister says we're ahead of the pack. No, we're not. It's demonstrably untrue. We're behind the pack. And the Prime Minister says we're going to make it here, in Australia. He says we're going to manufacture it here, at CSL. This time last week, he said:

If this vaccine proves successful we will manufacture and supply vaccines straight away under our own steam and make it free for 25 million Australians.

There's only one large company in Australia capable of making vaccines, CSL. What does CSL say? They say: 'Well, we'll do whatever we can to ensure Australia gets a vaccine. It may well be, though, that ultimately it comes from another source.' Fair enough. They're moving fast.

Australians just expect a bit of honesty from this government. Just tell us what you can do and what you can't do. Australians will cut you some slack, just as the opposition has cut you some slack. We want the government to succeed. We want the government to do well. We want the government to do what is necessary. We supported the government on the app. We provided more support for the app than the National Party supplied to the minister and to the government. We said: 'Okay. We'll take you on your word. We'll back you. We'll download it.' We encouraged Australians to download it. We're in the middle of a significant outbreak. Do you know how many contacts have been traced by the app that hadn't been found manually? According to the latest information it's 14. Fourteen cases have been traced that hadn't been traced manually. That's the last evidence before the COVID committee. The Prime Minister uses numbers to say, 'There've been many more than that.' 'It's been involved in finding others,' he said. It's been involved. That means they were found manually and then the app found them as well. As the member for Gellibrand very eloquently pointed out, it's like saying that we're involved in an AFL game when we turn up to watch it. It's been 'involved' in finding them. It's found 14 cases in the middle of a major pandemic. That is not good enough.

When it comes to mental health, that's an area of some bipartisanship. And I don't doubt the bona fides of those opposite and the good faith of those opposite to try and get a breakthrough in mental health. I wish they'd respond to the Productivity Commission report. I wish the minister would release the Productivity Commission report into mental health so we could look at it, so we could discuss it—not necessarily debate it—so we could pursue it. I wish the minister would respond in the October budget; he's indicated he won't be responding until next year.

When it comes to mental health in this pandemic, the government has extended the Medicare rebates for mental health consultations from 10 to 20—good—in Victoria—not good enough. This pandemic's impacts do not stop at the Murray River. There are people undergoing great strains and stress because of the economic impacts, because of concerns about the health impacts, because of concerns about the impacts on their families. People are in a very dire situation right across the country. I say to the minister in good faith, in all seriousness: do what you've done in Victoria for all Australians. All Australians are doing it tough. All Australians need extra help at this point. Extend the rebates for mental health consultations from 10 to 20 to every single Australian who needs them. Give every Australian access to pandemic leave, not just Tasmanians and Victorians. All Australians need that. That's an important matter of public health.

This government has started a partisan debate when it comes to the response. They've chosen to attack Premier Andrews, Premier McGowan and Premier Palaszczuk. We will stand with those premiers and the other premiers as well. We will support the actions they need. We want them to succeed. We want this government to succeed. We just wish they'd do a better job.

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