Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison government's plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession are working to suppress the virus, reopen our economy and deliver Australia's economic recovery?

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

I thank the member for her question. As this parliament rises today the challenges being faced by Australians each and every day, all around this country, wherever you live, will continue. The resolve of our government is to continue to stand by those Australians every single day and to continue to put in place the measures that have been necessary, that we have planned for and that we have been rolling out from that day back in February and even before that as we knew we were entering into this global pandemic.

The response that we've had, working with state and territory governments, has been first to seek to suppress the virus, and in seven out of eight states and territories in this country Australia has come together to be able to achieve that, and we need to continue to do that. Victoria is turning the corner, and we welcome that, and this weekend we hope to hear more about how Victoria will be able to go forward. I know Victorians will be looking forward to that, and I will continue to work with the Premier to that end.

We will continue to suppress the virus. We will continue to build the capability to live with the virus, with the testing and the tracing capabilities and the other measures that are needed for us to live with that virus. But we will also continue to provide the support that Australians need to get through this most difficult of times—the income support that is necessary, the support to the businesses who've seen their doors close or have had their doors closed on them as a result of the actions that governments have had to take. It's very important for those businesses and all of their employees that we commit to ensure that we can get their doors open and we can get their Australians back in their jobs.

Australia was not meant to be closed. Australia was meant to be open. Australians want to see Australia become open, as the founding members of this place ensured it was from the outset, and Australia must become whole again. This is the way—that's what success looks like.

As we gather again tomorrow, I thank all the premiers and all the chief ministers for the work that they have done to become job makers with this government—job makers whether it's investing in infrastructure, job makers investing in skills and training, job makers by working together to get our economy open again. We need to come together.

We need to ensure that we are clear with Australians that we will seek to make Australia whole again by Christmas this year, that Australians can come together on the day in the way they always would at Christmas, to ensure that they can go and see their families and return home and spend that important time. 2021 is going to be a better year than 2020, and it's going to be a year in which we need to ensure we work together to make Australia that one great nation, again, that we were made to be.

On that point, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.