Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today was the worst day in the Sydney outbreak so far. Does the Prime Minister take any responsibility for the failure to lock down Sydney in the early stages of the outbreak, given how he congratulated the Premier for doing just that?

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

The decisions that all premiers take across the country in relation to lockdowns are difficult decisions, and, over the course of this last 18 months, right across the country, the premiers, chief ministers and I have worked together to ensure that in this country we have one of the lowest rates of death as a result of COVID of any country in the world. And despite the fact that we continue to see those fatalities—and they are dreadfully, dreadfully tragic, and no-one in this House would think otherwise—the fact is that I commend the work that is being done by governments around the country and by state premiers, chief ministers and those doing their jobs every day, as indeed it is ours to do our job, working together to save lives and to save livelihoods.

It is true that, on many occasions, the New South Wales government took decisions not to lock down and they were able to contain those outbreaks.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left!

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

They were able to support jobs and support livelihoods. They were able to do that. On this occasion, that hasn't been the case. On other occasions premiers have made decisions to lock down when it could then have been argued they could have kept their states open, and there have been hindsight decisions on those also. The premiers have difficult calls to make. I seek to support them all in the work that they do in this country to save lives and to save likelihoods.

All I know is that each and every day during this pandemic—

Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting—

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

The member for Lyons will leave under standing order 94(a).

The member for Lyons then left the chamber.

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

Each and every day during this pandemic the lack of support from the opposition has been appalling. Their constant pursuit of politics has undermined our national effort. The negativity of this Leader of the Opposition has been appalling.