Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Can the Acting Prime Minister confirm evidence from Senate estimates that the Department of Health has not even been asked to provide advice about a fit-for-purpose quarantine facility in Toowoomba?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, Member for Lilley, we are happy to take a detailed submission on any quarantine facility, but it needs to be a detailed submission. They need to address Commonwealth key assessment criteria for such a quarantining facility—a quarantining facility, I have to say, that would complement what we are doing as far as the hotel quarantining system goes, which has been critical to managing the potential spread of COVID-19. That system has been 99.9 per cent successful in preventing the spread of COVID-19 into the community.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can yell all you like, but that is the truth—99.9 per cent. Other countries, elsewhere, would love to have that statistic over their quarantining, over their ability to reduce and minimise COVID-19.

Now, on 4 June, the Commonwealth's key assessment criteria for investment in purpose-built quarantining facilities were released, and the Commonwealth is using these criteria to assess any proposals, be they from Queensland—your state, Member for Lilley—or any other states, for purpose-built quarantine facilities provided by state and territory governments seeking federal support, seeking the support of the Commonwealth. Key considerations include—and these are important—that a proposal should represent value for money. I know, when Labor was in power, there was a lot of infrastructure built that wasn't value for money. But, when we do something—

Opposition members interjecting—

when we do it, there is value for money.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on direct relevance. The Acting Prime Minister can't talk about the Leppington Triangle in this answer if he wants to talk about value for money.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Acting Prime Minister has the call, but he needs to be relevant to the question.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Touchy, touchy! They are that it should provide quarantining capacity and work alongside hotel quarantine, meet the health requirements and be for a national facility for use by all Australians. Further criteria include proximity to an international airport taking regularly scheduled international commercial passenger flights, and closeness—within approximately an hour's vehicle transport, because this is important—to a tertiary hospital, otherwise known as a principal referral hospital. States and territories need to identify the most appropriate potential sites for quarantine capacity, reflecting their experience in the practicalities of an effective quarantine system, which needs to bring together health care, logistics and law enforcement aspects to minimise risks. And that's what we all want. We want to minimise risks. We want to continue what we are doing, and that is keeping the case rates low, keeping the death toll where it is now—910. We do not want any more deaths and we mourn those Australians who have lost their lives and for their families who are left behind.

But I thank, again, on behalf of the government, on behalf of a grateful nation, all of those Australians who have done the right thing during COVID-19, who have worn masks when asked to do so by premiers in far-off capitals, when they were a long, long way from any COVID cases. I thank Australians for what they have done to keep their communities safe.