Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to today's report in the Daily Telegraphtitled 'How QAnon became a killer covid conspiracy cult in Oz: Families torn apart by lies'. Prime Minister, what is the Morrison-Joyce government doing to combat the spread of dangerous misinformation by QAnon during this pandemic?

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

Crazy, rubbish conspiracies have no place when it comes to the public health of this country, and this government will have no association with it, as we demonstrated yesterday in this House. Ensuring that we take all steps we can to deal with misinformation is what this government is doing. It is up to all of us as members to seek to do everything we can to ensure that we are countering that in our own communities.

I have been pleased to be engaging with ethnic community leaders, multicultural community leaders, particularly in New South Wales. I thank those faith leaders across New South Wales, and particularly in south-western Sydney, who have been countering the misinformation that has been occurring in their communities. I particularly thank those of the Pacific community in this country and the faith leaders in their communities who are telling their congregations how important it is to get the vaccine and to not listen to those conspiracy theories that can prevent them from getting the vaccine and supporting their health. We're working with countries in the region, particularly Papua New Guinea. This is an issue that I speak regularly about with Prime Minister Marape, who is very concerned about the misinformation that is being put throughout his country regarding vaccination. And we are working to support him in his efforts in Papua New Guinea as well. But countering misinformation is a task for all of us. It's certainly a task for the government and one that we're acting on. I'll ask the minister for health to add further.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To add to the Prime Minister's answer, the Department of Health engages in a myth-busting process in terms of its public information. We work exactly as he says with communities across the country. There is provision of material in multiple different languages. We work with SBS on that front. In particular, one of the things we have to deal with is medical misinformation. I would refer to the words of the esteemed Professor Greg Dore of the Kirby Institute: 'Anti-AstraZeneca-ism is one of the great blights on Australia's COVID-19 response.' Professor Dore is highly esteemed. Professor John Skerritt yesterday said that, if people hadn't been vaccinated with AstraZeneca in New South Wales, we'd be talking about deaths in their dozens every day. Unfortunately there are those who have spread material and information which does not accord with the highest standards. Quote: 'It feels like Australia is being short-changed with an inferior vaccine.' Quote: 'The issue, though, is that the rest of the country is going to be offered a lower efficacy vaccine, the AstraZeneca.' Quote: 'We're about to unleash 51 million doses of AstraZeneca.' It is the Labor Party's candidate for Higgins. (Time expired)