Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne. Laura, who is stranded in Spain and wants to come home, has had her status changed by DFAT to 'not seeking to return to Australia', despite making it clear to a caller from DFAT that she was trying to return as soon as possible and had flights booked in coming weeks. She said:

I can't shake the feeling that the call and subsequent reclassifications on the DFAT portal are a cynical drive to deliver the government a Christmas miracle.

Why isn't the Prime Minister setting up a national quarantine facility at Learmonth or other locations so that stranded Australians can get home before Christmas, as he promised, instead of cooking the books to make it look like they don't want to be home by Christmas?