Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister, and I refer to the Prime Minister's October 2020 release of the three-step Framework for National Reopening. The Prime Minister said then that Australia was on track to be open by Christmas last year. Now, with millions of Australians in lockdown, state borders closed and international travel suspended, does the Prime Minister take responsibility for telling Australians something that just wasn't true?

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

On several occasions we have worked together with the states and territories to combat COVID-19, and on each occasion we have put forward plans in good faith and sought, together, to achieve those plans. Now, that is the right thing to do. And, as we struggled against that COVID-19 pandemic, we set out a program of restrictions that could be eased in different phases as we struggled against the then known variants of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as we know, as the pandemic has progressed, new and different variants have emerged. These are things that neither I nor the premiers, the chief ministers—indeed, in the great wisdom of the Leader of the Opposition—would have been able to have the foresight to know which turns the pandemic might take.

There is no country in the world today that has been able to predict every movement in this pandemic, but it is the responsibility of governments to respond to the circumstances that we face and to seek to provide a path out. Now, on occasion, the pandemic, the virus, gets the better of those plans. But we will continue to make them and we'll continue to move towards them and implement them and we will encourage Australians to engage with us in that so we can indeed chart our path out. And it may well be the case that further strains of this pandemic may impose further blows. But, I tell you what, Australians will respond. They won't hope for the worst like the Labor Party in this pandemic. They won't seek to take political opportunity of the pandemic.

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. 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

Point of order: on the dignity of the House, the Prime Minister should think about what he just said, think about what he just accused members of the parliament—

Government members interjecting—

On the dignity of the House. There's a concept called the dignity of the House. Are you aware of it—the dignity of the House?

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. I'll just say to the Prime Minister, he wasn't asked about an opposition policy; he was asked about the three-step plan. Up until that point he had been relevant to the question. As I've said—last week—when he's asked a question that doesn't ask about alternatives, that is quite specific in its nature, having answered it and having been very relevant to it—which he was up until that point—in the remaining time he does not have the option to simply launch a political attack.

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

So now the national cabinet, under my leadership, has put together a national plan. And the question is: do those opposite support it? Do they support it, or will they seek to undermine it?

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

No. The Prime Minister—

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

I'm talking about our national plan, Mr Speaker.

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. You can talk about the national plan, but, if you're going to insist on asking questions, I may well let them answer them. But that is not how question time works. You said you're seeking to talk about the national plan. You can do that. I am not going to keep making the same ruling and be ignored.

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

The national plan, as set out, means that we get to phase B where restrictions begin to ease at 70 per cent vaccination rates. And, at 80 per cent, we are able to live with the virus and the vaccination rates continue. Now, in no plan and in no scenario do we make the assumption that COVID is eliminated, that COVID somehow miraculously disappears from the planet. We will need to have ways of continuing to manage that, even at those high vaccination rates. But the plan we have set out is a plan that Australians can achieve. The plan we have set out is a plan that Australians are daily achieving. We have set out that plan and we have set out that pathway, and Australians will come on that path with us. Others may not wish to, but we will steadfastly go about that plan.

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

The Leader of the Opposition is seeking to table a document.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the Prime Minister's three-step plan to sustain a 'COVID Normal' Australia—'STEP 3: 'COVID NORMAL', Target Date: Christmas 2020'.

Leave not granted.