Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) Share this | Hansard source

Over the past fortnight, I've held another dozen or so mobile offices that I regularly hold around my electorate of Brisbane. From the Powerhouse markets at New Farm to the urban village at Kelvin Grove, from the shopping strips at Wilston and Paddington to the parks of Ascot, it was another perfect opportunity to listen carefully to the thoughts of a wide variety of Australians from all walks of life. While we chatted, I shouted a few of my constituents a coffee from nearby cafes, like the Little Corner Cafe in Wooloowin, so that we could simultaneously help support some of the great local small businesses as they work hard to bounce back as the social distancing restrictions are eased. I have to say that I think the constituents I spoke to at those mobile offices over the last fortnight would generally have a difficult time reconciling their experiences and their thoughts about Australia's response to COVID-19 with what we heard just moments ago from the Leader of the Opposition.

Contrary to what the Leader of the Opposition said in his contribution, most Australians feel that our response to the coronavirus in terms of the health outcomes and the economic outcomes compares pretty favourably with those that we are seeing in so many other countries around the world, including in most of the countries that Australia compares itself with. Most Australians feel positive about the cooperation that they've witnessed between governments and across party lines, particularly through the new national cabinet process that was implemented and is being led by the Prime Minister. I think most Australians would have been left cold and feeling disappointed when they heard the remarks of the Leader of the Opposition earlier, because by about one minute into his speech he was reverting to type, ramping up the politics and the partisanship. I think Australians would have felt that the Leader of the Opposition was trying to make this more about him and more about politics than maintaining the critical focus on the urgent needs of Australians.

By contrast, this government and our Prime Minister and our Treasurer have been both responsive and innovative in our policy responses and have maintained a laser-like focus on the national interest during these unprecedented times. As the member for Page mentioned, it was on 21 January that the government added the human coronavirus with pandemic potential as a listed human disease, well ahead of the World Health Organization, it should be recalled. Before the end of February, as the rest of the world finally began to comprehend the gravity of this global threat, we'd already developed and activated our emergency response plan. Two weeks after that, the national cabinet was established, and not two weeks after that this government announced the JobKeeper payment, a policy measure of unprecedented size and scope to give Australian workers and businesses, not-for-profits and other organisations a vital lifeline to weather the economic storm.

It was the Prime Minister who said in this place at the outset of the pandemic that Australia would have to prove to its critics that open, liberal democracies were up to the challenge of facing a crisis like this. In the weeks that have followed, Australians have proved themselves up to the challenge. This crisis has taught us many things about who we are as a country and where we need to be to continue to secure our prosperity. One of the themes emerging is how now, more than ever, we need policies that strengthen Australia's self-reliance and self-sufficiency, so I am very pleased to say that, amongst many sectors and areas on which the government is working right now, our work in the area of sustainability, recycling and waste is going to deliver Australia a much stronger and larger domestic recycling sector, here onshore, making us less reliant on solutions that may or may not remain available offshore. That is going to create value, prosperity and jobs in this country, especially in the parts of this country where we need them the most.

We know that difficult days and difficult decisions lie ahead. These are uncharted waters, and there's much that remains uncertain. But our government's focus is clear: we will fight the virus and we will slow its spread, we will deliver the economic lifeline Australian businesses and families need to weather the global storm and emerge strong and resilient from this global pandemic crisis, and we will rebuild confidence in our economy and deliver the reforms we need to grow into the years ahead. That will remain our focus as a government. Even if the opposition leader tries to move the focus to himself and to politics, we will continue to focus on the national interest for all Australians.

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