Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

These hysterical calls, these confused calls, to shut the borders, to open the borders and to wash people's feet are the things that are damaging our response to this crisis right now. Calls to shut the border are damaging Australia's agricultural reputation. The unnecessary hysteria that those on the opposition benches are fermenting will do nothing but damage the international trade that you are saying that you want to protect. As it stands in Australia today, we have no evidence at all that the virus is out in Australia. Your response affects our international trade if people think that we do have this disease. So your hysteria is helping no-one. What we do know is that the disease is evident across many countries—and the opposition is not calling for borders to be shut to them. So, once again, what you are doing is playing politics rather than listening to the experts.

I also thank the opposition for their questions on our policy to abolish the ABCC, the absolutely discredited ABCC, and their questions about our consultations with business and with unions on this decision.