Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government is taking action to keep Australians safe from threats such as the omicron COVID strain at home and abroad, and how the government is protecting Australians from faceless cowards online by holding social media giants to account for appalling online behaviour?

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

I thank the member for Mallee for her question. Our government has no more important responsibility than keeping Australians safe. We face threats in the physical world, of course: threats of the instability of the region in which we live, the defence actions that we must take, the threats of terrorism—there are many threats, health threats and many others, that we face in the physical world. But we also face those threats in the digital world, whether that's the threat of cyberattacks or, indeed, those anonymous online attacks that are made on Australians every day in a cowardly way.

In terms of health, we are responding to the most recent strain in relation to COVID-19, the omicron strain. We have had many of these variants that have already come to Australia. We've been able to address and deal with those. In terms of omicron, we are undertaking sensible, balanced and proportionate responses working closely together with the states and territories. Tomorrow evening, the premiers, chief ministers and I will be meeting together to update further and get the latest information on what is being brought forward on this most latest variant that has been identified. We are listening to the best possible medical advice and evidence coming forward on this new strain. The best encouragement that we can give to all Australians is that 86.7 per cent are double dosed vaccinated. This is the strong protection that Australians have built up. That continues to provide us with a strong preparedness to deal with these strains and these variants as they come.

In the Solomon Islands, Australian boots are on the ground: 45 Australian Federal Police and 76 Australian Defence Force officers from the third, sixth and 17th brigades in Townsville. They are there on the ground restoring calm. They are there enabling our own Pacific family to be able to deal peacefully with the issues in their own country. I welcome in particular the broader support we've had from Fiji, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand in the response that we've made to ensure that we can provide for a peaceful environment for these issues to be resolved in the Solomon Islands. I thank all of those who are there right now, in a place that has seen very serious civil unrest. I thank all of their families as well because they are going away. Weeks out from Christmas but they're doing their duty.

When it comes to online safety, this government is taking action, as we always have—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gellibrand is warned.

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

throughout the course of this government, against the digital companies and the social media companies to ensure that Australians can be safe online. The legislation we're bringing forward will unmask the trolls. It will also ensure the digital media companies are held to account for what is being done to young people, particularly women and girls, in this country. (Time expired)