Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many Australians have found themselves in situations that they never imagined—families needing government support for the first time in their lives. As the Prime Minister and the Treasurer outlined earlier today in question time and as they and we as a government have consistently outlined, when Australians were at their most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, this government had their back. We were there for them. Indeed, we doubled the level of support during the worst part of this crisis, and we continue, as a government, to provide that support that Australians need to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Today the Treasurer announced that we will extend the coronavirus supplement, at an extra cost of $3.2 billion. That's an extra $3.2 billion in support for Australian families on top of the hundreds of billions in support that have already been delivered by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the extension of the $150 coronavirus supplement for the further three months.

We are entirely focused on Australia's economic recovery, and we are recovering. This is good news for Australians. It is something that Labor members should be heralding, as we are. The fact is that consumer confidence is up for the 10th week in a row. This is a good sign. This is a good sign for the COVID-free Christmas that we have in front of us. The fact that we are recovering is the reason these emergency measures that were put in place to support Australians at the peak of the crisis are being tapered. Australians want to get back to work, and they will. We will make sure that there are opportunities for them to get back to work. In this year's budget, the Morrison government's economic recovery plan showed again that we are focusing on that most important of objectives: creating jobs. This is the best thing that we can do to support Australians during the COVID-19 recession. It is intriguing that, once again, on one hand Labor seek to attack the government for the work that we are doing on the road to recovery. They attack our plan to taper some support measures so as not to provide an impediment for Australians looking to return to the workforce. On the other hand, we've got the senior Labor leadership saying that these payments need to be tapered. Yet, when they are tapered, they attack. They are simply incapable of holding a consistent position.

This MPI is about the importance of this House providing for the most vulnerable in our community, and the most vulnerable of all in our community are our children. I would like to take this opportunity to speak about an issue that I'm passionate about, and that is the Morrison government's efforts and commitment to keep Australian families and, particularly, Australia's kids safe online. Unfortunately, children are facing a horrid threat every day in the form of child sexual exploitation, and the most vile humans are using the cover of darkness and the cover of COVID to increase their levels of online predatory activity. I want to take this opportunity to really commend the Minister for Home Affairs for what he has done and what the government is doing to keep children safe from these truly heinous predators and to keep our kids safe online. The government has opened the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, known as ACCCE. It's a purpose-built facility that brings together resources from government and Commonwealth agencies, law enforcement, non-government organisations and other partners in a centralised hub to prevent and disrupt the online sexual exploitation of children.

Recently I was able to visit the ACCCE in Brisbane, my home town, and speak to the remarkable staff doing their work there. All members in this House should take the time to pause and just consider what is involved in identifying these threats and what these officers go through to identify the threats: the images that they have to view, the online conversations that they have to pick up and be a part of—it is truly disgusting. And these individuals are driven, on our behalf, by the important goal of shutting down this behaviour, catching these predators and removing children from harm.

This is just one of the many ways that this government is supporting the most vulnerable in our community, along with all the support payments that we have provided during COVID-19. Australians know that this government has had their interests at heart throughout the COVID-19 recession, and Australians know that this government has the backs of all Australians, including the most vulnerable.

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