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

I thank Senator Polley for giving me some latitude to talk about the impact on Australians. We have stood side by side with Australians who have been impacted by the coronavirus, providing them with support to help them through this crisis, not just in my portfolio area but particularly in Minister Cash's portfolio with small business, in the Treasurer's portfolio with the JobKeeper payment and across just about every portfolio area. In Senator Payne's portfolio we've been supporting our neighbours in the Pacific region, helping them. In Senator Reynolds's portfolio we've been making sure that defence personnel have been helping us through the crisis. To come in here and suggest that we have not been helping Australians, standing side by side with Australians and helping them through this pandemic, I have to say is nothing more than abject rubbish. What I would say is we will continue to stand by Australians by providing them with the help, the welfare support, that they need to get through this pandemic. We don't shy away from that, no matter how much you must ask stupid questions. (Time expired)