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 again to the Prime Minister. The arrival of international air crews into Australia and quarantine is clearly the Commonwealth's responsibility. The Prime Minister ignored Jane Halton's warnings both on national quarantine and on transport arrangements for international air crew. Why won't the Prime Minister take responsibility for his failures? Or is this yet another case of it all being someone else's fault?

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

[by video link] I simply reject the assertions just put out there by the member who has put this question. As Australians understand and as states and territories understand, the vaccination of those who are involved in the quarantine process, which was put in place by a decision of national cabinet in March last year, is administered by those states and territories. The Labor Party can seek to pointscore all they like, but what Australians know is that there is not one—to the best of my knowledge—person right now who is in an ICU in an Australian hospital as a result of falling victim to COVID. What I also know is, as you look around the world, that is not the case. If you look at the United Kingdom, the most recent information I have is: over 16,000 new cases in one day, almost 250 people in hospital and almost 20 deaths. That's just in one day.

For the Labor Party to come in here, into this chamber, day after day, and talk down the achievements of the Australian people and how Australia has been able to come through this pandemic to this point in such a situation, where Australians are not falling victim fatally to this COVID virus, where almost a million jobs have come back into the economy after the pandemic hit—we have more people in work today than there were before the pandemic started. This is a great achievement of the Australian people. And all we get from the Labor Party day after day—

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

The Prime Minister will pause for a second. 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

On direct relevance. I'm sure this could be relevant to a dixer, if he got someone to ask him one, but it's not relevant to the question he's been asked.

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

The Prime Minister, I think, has been relevant up until quite recently. The problem with the question, which allows him some latitude, is the very last line, about it always being someone else's fault. I say to the Prime Minister that, in the time remaining, he can bring himself back to the question. I think he's had some ample opportunity, quite rightly, to respond on the generalities.

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

I'll conclude on this note: the point of order just taken by the Manager of Opposition Business really exposes the Labor Party. The fact that Australian lives aren't being lost and that Australians are in jobs is exactly relevant. That's what Australians are interested in. If the Labor Party don't think that's relevant to managing the pandemic, then they betray their snarling negativity that they parade in this parliament each and every day.