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 his statement:

We regulate aged care but when there is a public health pandemic, then public health, which, whether it gets into aged care, shopping centres, schools or anywhere else, then they are things that are matters for Victoria.

Does the Prime Minister agree that there's a fundamental difference between the Commonwealth's responsibility for shopping centres and its direct responsibility for aged-care residents?

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

The Leader of the Opposition can seek to misrepresent those phrases as he chooses in this place, but he fails to understand the point that was being made. The Commonwealth is responsible for the regulation and funding of aged care and its clinical practices; that is true. That's what happens in aged-care facilities. What I was referring to was the broader responsibilities of state governments when it comes to the management of public health and pandemics.

When a state government is responsible for public health and pandemics, then they are responsible for how that applies to all aspects of what occurs in that state. That includes shopping centres, and that includes public health issues related, also, to aged-care facilities, hospitals, schools, community sporting facilities—any type of facilities that can occur.

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

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

The member for Kingston is now warned!

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

Public health is the responsibility of state governments. When there is a pandemic that is reaching into aged-care facilities, then there is of course an overlap of those responsibilities. The Commonwealth has responsibilities. The state government has responsibilities. What we have done is work together. We have established the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, led by Joe Buffone from Emergency Management Australia, bringing together a series of professionals—whether it be in the health sector or other sectors—that are responsible for ensuring we get the right outcome.

Again I remind people: despite the fact that we have had unacceptable outcomes in fewer than half a dozen facilities, and a total of 16 have been considered to have had a significant impact, 97 per cent of aged-care facilities in this country have had no COVID infections. And in Victoria, where there has been a significant outbreak, more than 90 per cent have not had a COVID infection. I think the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, under Joe's leadership, is doing a great job. I want to thank the Premier of Victoria for his cooperation, working with me, and the Minister for Health, working with his counterpart in Victoria, and the Minister for Aged Care and his counterpart in Victoria, working together to ensure that we can protect lives in aged-care facilities and throughout Victoria.