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 have in my hand an AusTender contract notice which reveals that during the bushfire crisis the government entered into a contract for: 'global sentiment monitor—Australian bushfires', costing taxpayers $293,000. Why is the government spending money monitoring what the world thinks about our bushfires?

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

I'd be happy to take the information that the Leader of the Opposition has and come back to him on this matter. I'm happy for him to provide that to me. I do recall that at the time one of the concerns particularly of our tourism industry was about how Australia—

Ms Ryan interjecting—

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

The member for Lalor is warned.

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

was being perceived. They had very real fears at that time, and that was pre-COVID, that people might cancel their holidays to Australia. I must say, when I was talking to various global leaders at that time there was quite an inaccurate picture of the extent of where the fires were across Australia. That was causing very real concern about international bookings into Australia, particularly in places like Western Australia, parts of western Victoria, along the Great Ocean Road and the Northern Territory. I'm happy to look at the specific issue that the opposition leader has raised. But I can say on the broader issue of understanding what global perceptions were at that time that there was a concern in the government and there was a concern in the tourism industry about how we could be tasking our missions overseas to be addressing any misperceptions about those arrangements to ensure that the terrible damage that was being caused by the bushfires was not made worse by misinformation in the global domain.