Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Given members of the Prime Minister's government are already leaking large parts of the secret Ruddock review into religious freedoms which the government has had for five months, why won't the Prime Minister just release it in full and announce the government's response so the Australian people, including voters in Wentworth, can read the whole report and know what the government is planning to do? What is the Prime Minister hiding?

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

The answer to the question is: nothing. As I said, the Ruddock review will be released with the government's response, and I think that is the appropriate way for the full report and the response to be considered together, so Australians can have a very clear understanding about what is being proposed. The government has been addressing, particularly over the last seven weeks, a range of other priorities, which have included addressing the drought, the royal commission into aged care and ensuring that we bring forward cuts in taxes for small and family businesses. On the weekend, we announced $51.8 million extra for headspace. We've announced another 30 MRI and other licences to ensure that hospitals can have and provide the services and support to Australians.

We've been very focused on these priorities; it is true. I first saw this report not long after I became Prime Minister, and the other matters which I've identified to the House have been my priorities. Once we've been able to address those priorities, we'll be taking a government response through the normal cabinet process and, when we have concluded that, we will release this report and seek to have a mature discussion with this chamber, the other chamber and the Australian people about protecting the religious freedoms which millions of Australians hold dear. We won't be bullied into it by the Labor Party. We will simply hope, because I'm quite sure that their constituents would also want to address this very important issue of religious freedom in a sober and mature way—not try to play politics and pointscore on it this fortnight.