Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

The devastation economically since March last year has not been due to the COVID virus; it has been due to government restrictions. They have been capricious and arbitrary and devastating and, at times, inhuman. Why is the federal government propping these up—because the minister just mentioned a minute ago that the total spending will depend upon lockdowns. Lockdowns in the United States, where there are 50 states, show that, between those states that have had lockdowns and those that haven't had lockdowns, there's barely any difference in COVID performance. In fact, the Governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis, apologised to the citizens of Florida after the first lockdown ended, and he ended it quickly and he hasn't had one since—and Florida is packed with aged people.

We've also seen New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro, within the last week, admit that he doesn't know what the hell is happening in his government or in New South Wales with regard to lockdowns. The World Health Organization has come out and said that lockdowns are 'a blunt instrument' that needs to be used carefully and only initially to get control of the virus. Does that mean, Minister, that state governments using lockdowns are not in control of their state? It certainly appears that way.