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

[by video link] My question is also to the Prime Minister. Last September the Prime Minister announced that stranded Australians overseas would be home by Christmas, and then last October the Prime Minister announced that Australia would reopen by Christmas. Now the Prime Minister is again announcing that Australians can look forward to 'everybody around the table at Christmas time'. Why does the Prime Minister always focus on announcements and not delivery?

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

What I said, in answer to the last question and the one before it, was that I want all Australians to be around that table at Christmas. That is something that I would think the government wouldn't be criticised for. That is something that I would think all those in this House would be wanting—for Australian families to have their loved ones protected over the course of this year, so that they can all gather around the table. I don't know why that would be a point on which the government would be attacked by the opposition. I simply don't understand it.

I can tell the member who raised this issue that what I referred to last year was the number of people that were registered at the time, of getting Australians home. As we know, we got not only that number of people home by the end of last year but many, many more. As Australia continued to ensure that people in this country were protected as best as possible from the ravages of COVID, that wasn't the case overseas, and more and more Australians joined those lists to get home. That's why we expanded the national resilience facility in the Northern Territory. It's why we facilitated commercial flights to Australia—and we continue to do that now.

In this phase of the national plan, we have all agreed it is necessary to reduce the amount of arrivals coming to Australia because of the delta strain. The delta strain has changed everything. That is a position understood and agreed by premiers, chief ministers and me. Together we're implementing the national plan. The Labor Party is undermining the national plan.

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 transcript from 23 October 2020, in which he said he wanted to get Australia open by—

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

No, you don't need to go through it. Is leave granted?

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is not granted.