Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about the impact of the coronavirus challenge in my home state of Western Australia and why it's critical that we continue to stay the course. There is no precedent for this situation. All Australians, either directly or indirectly, have made significant sacrifices. Some have lost their jobs. They may be, or have been, working reduced hours. They may have been forced to miss a funeral or cancel a wedding. They may have had to stand people down, reduce their staff or close their business. For those who have had to do none of these things, there's a fair chance that they would know someone—a friend or a family member—who has. It's because of these sacrifices that, as a community, we must continue to stay the course. Together, we have made so much progress, having handled this crisis better than the rest of the world. We cannot afford to put any of this at risk.

Over the last fortnight or so, we've seen images from around the world where tens of thousands of protesters have been taking to the streets. Some of those have included Australian cities, with one set of protests to take place this weekend in Perth. I make no political point on the issue itself. It is complex and, yes, we need to do much better. The incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is unacceptable, and more needs to be done to remedy this and many of the other disparities that exist. This is why I've spent much of my working life fighting for, and delivering, better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Sadly, though, these protests are putting at risk the progress that we've made in dealing with the coronavirus. Worse still, they are putting at risk the lives of some of our most vulnerable, including Indigenous people. The finance minister, Senator Cormann, made some very salient comments about the irresponsible nature of the protests occurring at this time. He said:

I think it is incredibly selfish. It’s incredibly self-indulgent. And yes, it does impose unnecessary and unacceptable risk on to the community.

He said that, with regard to COVID, we cannot afford to take a backward step. I completely agree with Senator Cormann. He was spot on. We need to get people back into jobs. We need to get businesses reopened. We need to restart our economy.

In Western Australia, we currently have 30 active cases, with zero overnight, and a total of 599 over the period of this challenge. Importantly, today is the first day that we as a nation have seen no new cases of community transmission. This needs to remain the case if we're going to continue with the easing of restrictions and getting back, as far as possible, to life as we knew it. Along with the work of the Prime Minister and the Commonwealth, let me acknowledge the Premier of Western Australia, Mark McGowan, for his hardline approach to dealing with this crisis. But the protest that is due to take place in Perth this weekend will be the latest test for the WA government. It's true the Premier has made public his expectations of the organisers, all of which have either been rejected or will be impossible to enforce, and his response has been soft at best. He must not let this protest mark a failure of his leadership. So I call on the Premier to make clear that fines will be issued to anyone who breaches the restrictions. He should say, 'If you want to go, you risk a fine.' This is hardly a remarkable stance. If you host a house party beyond the rules, you risk a fine. If your church has more than 100 people in attendance, you cannot run a service without risking a fine. How is expecting the same standard of this protest any different?

Again, this is not about the subject of the protest; this is about the health and the livelihoods of Western Australians. I think of Melinda and her husband who run a travel agency for international and domestic school and sporting trips who have had to shut their business. Revenue has basically been reduced to zero overnight. I think of Phil and Sam who had to postpone their wedding. I think of one of my staff members and their family who could not attend the funeral of a close family member. I think of Carmen, a young lady who started a job on 3 March but who was stood down. I think of the thousands of businesses across Australia and across Western Australia in particular. I have spoken to a number of business owners whose businesses have had their supply chains interrupted and orders reduced and who will be feeling the impacts of this for a very long time to come. I think of my constituents, so many of whom have contacted my office for assistance. All of us in this place would have been contacted by constituents. This weekend will be a test of leadership—one which the McGowan government, for the good of all Western Australians, cannot afford to fail.