Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

The Commonwealth does acknowledge and accept its responsibilities at a national level for quarantine, but we're working in a global pandemic circumstance, and we're working collaboratively with the states through national cabinet to safely bring Australians home. That's what we're doing. We're not sitting at the sidelines just chipping away and making criticisms. We are working cooperatively and collaboratively with the states to operate a national system of bringing Australians home through a process that was agreed by national cabinet. That's what we will continue to do, responsibly and collaboratively. I think that's a really important thing that we continue to do to give Australians confidence that we have a system that is over 99 per cent effective in bringing Australians home.

As Senator O'Neill from New South Wales will know, New South Wales have done the bulk of the heavy lifting in bringing over 50 per cent of the people back to Australia through their hotel quarantine system and should be congratulated for their efforts.