Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed. As part of those responsibilities, when we set out the arrangements that the Prime Minister led with the states, they specifically, expressly and clearly took responsibility, but we have provided support through provision of the ADF. We have provided support through the work of Jane Halton, a former distinguished secretary, and through the Chief Scientist of Australia. They have set out the standards expected, and individual states are responding to and adopting those standards. We welcome all of those elements. So the premise of the question is fundamentally wrong. It is incorrect in fact.

However, it is important to understand that wherever we are in a situation of engaging with the outside world, on a day when there have been over 600,000 cases and the highest rate of loss of life ever through the pandemic, what we see is that we protect Australians through hotel quarantine. There will be risks associated with that, but we have put in place a system which has made Australia the envy of the world.

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