Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to my November letter to him calling for eight measures on bushfires, including a coordinated national approach endorsed by COAG, appropriate emergency services funding, more aerial firefighting assets, financial support for volunteer firefighters and action on climate adaptation and mitigation. Why did the Prime Minister summarily dismiss Labor's constructive proposals by rejecting a national approach to the crisis, saying COAG might meet later 'should the need arise'?

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

I'm sure the House won't be surprised that I don't accept the Leader of the Opposition's characterisation of these issues. What I can tell the House is that the government's response to the national bushfire emergency over this 'black summer' has been unprecedented with the compulsory call-out of the Defence Force reserves, which is the first time that that has occurred in response to a national disaster of this kind. In addition to that, we moved quickly to establish the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and to appoint Andrew Colvin, the former head of the Australian Federal Police. I thought those opposite supported these measures, but they come in here and, with the first question of the day, seek to politicise the bushfire response. I find that very disappointing, but I'm happy to inform the member that we not only provided additional support for aerial firefighting assets—that is, the water bombers—but also a further $20 million—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It goes to relevance. My question very specifically went to my correspondence in writing to the Prime Minister, in November, and his response—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

when he was still saying it was a state issue—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, the Leader of the Opposition will not debate the matter. The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The question mentioned a number of things in the correspondence, and the Prime Minister is addressing the response to the bushfires. He is in order. He is entitled, in doing that, to mention other actions that have been taken. The Prime Minister is in order.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. We provided the additional funding for those water bombers and then we provided additional funding on top of that in response to the request from the fire chiefs, who had sought that additional support. They sought one extra. We provided four extra.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

I note the constant interjecting from the Leader of the Opposition. He's been very chatty on this issue today. I would have thought he'd be supporting these measures. If he wants to politicise bushfires, that reflects more on him than it does on the government.

Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House how the Morrison-McCormack government is working practically to meet the challenges Australia faces including responding to the devastation this bushfire season has caused communities across Australia, including in my electorate of Cowper?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I thank the member for Cowper for his questions, and I note the interjections from those opposite—again—on the issue of an important question about bushfires. I was with the member for Cowper in Wauchope during those bushfires that ravaged the Mid Coast, as I was with other members across the Mid Coast and up the North Coast as the fires went through those communities. I saw the devastation with the member and my many other colleagues as we visited the many areas that were affected by those fires—including with the New South Wales Premier, who was there with me on that occasion when we went to Wauchope and visited the incident response centre. I want to thank all the members for their great cooperation and support—as we did in this House yesterday when we memorialised the terrible losses that were endured over this bushfire season, this 'black summer', which continues to this day.

What this government has been doing for the last six years is ensuring that the government has been in a place to build the strength and resilience, particularly of our financial resources, to ensure that, at a time of crisis, we can act and move forward and put resources into place. That's why we established the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, under the leadership of Andrew Colvin, and immediately put in another $2 billion to support the bushfire recovery effort and the rebuilding process to build back better, which this government will lead and ensure we are supporting those people on the ground. And we were able to do that without applying an emergency levy and tax on the Australian people. We didn't have to do that, like our predecessors did. We were in a position to do so because we had brought the budget back into balance. That is something those opposite were unable to do, and the only way they could provide that support is if they tax other Australians.

We have not done that. We did the work to ensure that we could rebuild the financial resilience of the government to be able to provide $76 million in important mental health support, $50,000 grants to small businesses directly impacted by these fires and a further $500,000 in loans where you don't pay anything back for two years—no interest—and then have discounted rates of interest over the balance of the eight years. We are providing $75,000 grants to primary producers, and more than $6 million of that support is already out the door. We have provided over $100 million in disaster recovery payments to over 75,000 people—including over 34,000 children to ensure that they could be supported particularly as they went back into school. We have supported our tourism industry. We are supporting those who are supporting wildlife and habitat, and the councils providing the response. That's action. That's the response. (Time expired)

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again addressed to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister regret using his official resources to create and launch a party-political advertisement on a catastrophic day at the height of the bushfire crisis, which included defence imagery, a jingle and a link to a Liberal Party donation button?

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

The Leader of the Opposition has come to that dispatch box and told a complete falsehood. The government and the members opposite know, on any—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I note the constant interjections on matters of bushfires from those opposite. But on every piece of communication that you provide on video, the advice is that that material must be authorised. I have noted that the Leader of the Opposition—

Honourable members interjecting —

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister can pause for a second. I know it's the start of a new year and it's the first question time, but members won't have forgotten the number of times I've said it's important for me to hear the question and the answer. I am going to hear both. If that means ejecting people, I'll do it very freely—and bear in mind that I haven't done it for a while. We've had a bit of a break, and we're now back.

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

Those communications require an authorisation to be compliant. That's what the government has done. That's what the Leader of the Opposition has done with his video communications on these types of issues. The only person trying to politicise the response to the bushfire crisis is the Leader of the Opposition.