Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I think everybody in this chamber recognises that we are in quite unprecedented times, and we are still in them. There is absolutely no doubt that the end of this coronavirus pandemic—when it's going to end and what it's going to look like when it ends—remains something we are unsure of. Therefore, the government has remained flexible, and the temporary nature of the provisions we put in place recognise the constantly changing conditions this pandemic is presenting to the Australian economy. You only have to look at Victoria to realise that we have a particular set of circumstances down there, and we've seen the announcements today in aged care, to directly deal with those particular instances. But what we have to do as a government is manage our way through this pandemic, putting in place the provisions that are required at the time. When we get to a situation where we understand what the new normal looks like, that will be the time to make structural change.