Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Shortland doesn't want to hear how the government is delivering for the people of Shortland. He is absolutely choosing to be deaf on these very important deliverables for the people of his community. I have never met a member of parliament more disconnected than he is from the aspirations and concerns of the people he claims to represent. Four thousand five hundred businesses in Shortland have been supported through the government's JobKeeper payments to help keep employees connected to businesses. Around 7,647 individuals in Shortland have received the coronavirus supplement, which was added to JobSeeker to provide additional support through the crisis. And age pensioners in Shortland, who the former member for Shortland, Jill Hall, was very concerned about—the current member, perhaps less so—have benefited. Around 22,778 pensioners in Shortland received support payments of $750 in April and July and will receive a $250 payment in December and a further $250 payment in March next year. And 2,179 carers in Shortland received support payments as well.

While the opposition have been playing their parliamentary games, this government is focused on delivering on what is important for Australians. The Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, has worked tirelessly to ensure our aviation sector can be supported through its most difficult period. They have also worked to facilitate freight flights, which are really important, from regional Australia, from Queensland and WA, to Hong Kong and Singapore to ensure our export produce can still meet the market. Our Attorney-General has been working with trade unions and business representative towards historic changes to the Fair Work Act and working to make sure Safe Work Australia can provide guidance to businesses when they need it in dealing with the pandemic. There is work that the Treasurer has been doing across all of the government in relation to our economic response, whether it be HomeBuilder or the $800 million Digital Business Plan to drive Australia's economic recovery. There is the amazing work that Minister Hunt has done as health minister, making sure that we were able to secure the use of 30,000 hospital beds from the private sector. Australia was facing a health disaster caused by a pandemic, and this government, when we asked ourselves, acted in the interests of Australians. The health minister, working closely with the Prime Minister, secured 30,000 additional private hospital beds should they be needed in the fight against COVID-19. I am so thankful that they weren't needed, but this government was focused on making sure that we had the health supports in place for the worst. We prepared for the worst, and we hoped for the best.

Those opposite want to talk Australia down. They want to talk Australians down, but I'm very proud of the response that this government and Australian governments, collectively, have made to the coronavirus pandemic. Stuart Robert, the human services minister, has worked very closely with Services Australia.

Opposition members interjecting—

A government member: That woke them up!

I thought you'd gone to sleep! The work that Minister Robert has done, working closely with the hardworking public servants of Services Australia, has supported Australians in their time of need. Minister Andrews has worked with industry to ensure that they can deliver the increases that we need to deliver PPE manufacturing capability in this country. And Minister Tehan has worked to ensure that we can guarantee funding for universities, even if there's a fall in domestic student numbers, and has provided regulatory fee relief—around $100 million for the higher education and VET sectors. And that's not to mention the free child care for a million families during the pandemic, providing certainty for families in this sector. (Time expired)

Ms Madeleine King interjecting—

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