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

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Birmingham) to a question without notice asked by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Wong) today relating to public statements made by the Prime Minister.

Senator Wong raised with Senator Birmingham the fact that, yesterday in question time, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, in the other place stated a falsehood. This is often the way with this Prime Minister: on his feet in question time just throwing out accusations without basis and without foundation. What did he claim? He claimed that former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had been going in and out of Australia, taking up quarantine spaces from stranded Australians. No such thing ever happened. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been in Queensland since March. He has not left the country. He has not taken up a quarantine space from a stranded Australian. But I will tell you which former Prime Minister is taking up quarantine spaces that stranded Australians are not being able to use—