Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister again. According to the front page of today's Herald Sun, the Prime Minister's COVID vaccine rollout is so slow that Australia is ranked 113th in the world. The Prime Minister promised Australians last year we would be at the front of the queue. Prime Minister, isn't it true that we're so far back we can't even see the front of the queue?

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

I don't know what world those sleepwalkers opposite are living in, but I know every Australian is very happy to be living in Australia during the course of this pandemic. I don't know Australians who want to go and take up residence and live in a COVID environment, whether it be in Europe, the United States, the UK or anywhere else. I know that Australians, because they approach me every time when I go out into regional Australia or the suburbs and cities of this country, know here in this country they're living a life in this country during COVID like few are anywhere else in the world. They know the reality—that the government of this country has worked together with other governments at a state and territory level to ensure that this country has enjoyed a safety from this pandemic and an economic recovery like few, if any, other countries in the world. Those opposite may want to retreat into whingeing, complaining and undermining the government as we fight of the virus and they focus on the politics, but I think Australians will form the same view that the Member for Paterson has. She said that Labor 'sound like we are whingeing and people don't like it'.

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?

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

I've concluded my answer, Mr Speaker.

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

The Prime Minister is indicating he's concluded his answer. I will make the point I was about to make anyway—that is, when it comes to relevance, which I presume was the standing order the Leader of the Opposition was rising on, when a question has a number of elements, including a really flippant element at the end of the question that certainly could be argued on a strict sense to be outside the standing orders, my option is to rule the question out of order or allow a lot of tolerance in the answer. That's why I did on that occasion. So, for those framing the questions, you just need to bear that in mind.