Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Whoops! In fact, it was during an election campaign. A serving Australian Prime Minister stood beside a campaigning presidential candidate Donald Trump, where the former President told 1,500 Trump supporters that he was bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Our Prime Minister standing next to a campaigning US presidential candidate! It was unbelievable in terms of diplomatic nous, especially when that guy turned out to be a loser and the democratic candidate is now President Biden! I don't think that's ever happened before. I assume that the advancer was sacked on the spot for putting an Australian Prime Minister in the middle of a US presidential campaign—unbelievable!

Let's look at what manufacturing really can deliver in terms of sovereign capability. We know that the Morrison government has spent $5.9 million more on consultant fees than the actual mRNA vaccine manufacture. Can you believe that?

See this speech in context