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

As a fellow Sydneysider, my children also are facing that. My children and those across Sydney are all facing that—families separated from each other. That is the terrible business of lockdowns. What we have learnt from the delta variant is that, indeed, at that time absolutely shorter, sharper lockdowns would have been the necessary response, as we've seen from South Australia and as we've seen from Victoria and as, I hope, is the case in South-East Queensland. I notice those opposite are equipped with perfect hindsight, but what I do know from the New South Wales response is that, over time, the delta variant has completely changed the necessary responses. It has completely changed it. And it is indeed true that, for a very long period of time in New South Wales, they were able to manage cases as they arose without having to go into lengthy and extraordinary lockdowns. That is indeed the case. But the virus writes the rules. It was also the case that, earlier in the year when short, sharp lockdowns weren't the necessary healthy response, there were unnecessary lockdowns that would have cost people more than they had to.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

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