Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on how the Morrison government's plans for a stronger economy and a more resilient Australia are helping our nation address local and global challenges? Is the Prime Minister aware of the risks of alternative approaches?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for her question. It is very true that Australia has been confronting a large number of challenges, particularly over recent months and, indeed, years. Whether it is the drought, whether it is the floods of a few years ago up in North Queensland, whether it is the fires that have ravaged the country over the black summer that we've been experiencing or whether it is the coronavirus, which I understand is causing great anxiety in the Australian community, what is important as we've faced up to each of these significant challenges is that we have plans that we have been putting in place over many years to ensure that, at times like this, Australia—the Commonwealth government—can act together with the states and territories to ensure we can protect the safety of Australians and provide the response that is necessary to these disasters.

It enables us, as we come here to this dispatch box, whether it's myself, the Minister for Health, the minister for emergency management, the minister for drought, the minister for transport or anyone else, to say to the Australian people that we will get through this. We will get through the challenges of the coronavirus, just as we have been getting through the challenges of the drought, just as we've been able to put in place the $2 billion national bushfire recovery fund, supported by the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, and we will do it without a tax. We're able to put the plans in place that ensure we have strong financial management and we have strong investments, whether they're in our health system, whether they're in our emergency management system or whether they're in our drought programs or our infrastructure projects going forward, and we take the tax burden off Australians, whether they're income tax payers on an individual income or, indeed, we take the burden off small businesses, ensuring that small businesses get paid more quickly under the arrangements we've put in place on government purchasing. All of this is designed to have plans in place to ensure you can deal with the crises as they present to the Australian government.

I'm asked about alternatives. There has been much said over the course of the last week, since the Leader of the Opposition's announcement about his target for 2050. The great problem with his announcement is that he does not have a plan for how he will achieve that. There is no plan. There are no costs. There is no countenancing of what the costs would be. I'll tell you what: when I put out a plan, as I have, I put to the Australian people jobs, the cost of living, support for rural and regional Australians, the safety of Australians. That's how I construct a plan. This Leader of the Opposition has no plan and, as a result, no clue.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just before I call the member for Maribyrnong, I mention the member for Moreton several times most days. I'm just telling him: no more interjections from him today.

Dr Freelander interjecting—

Mr Gosling interjecting—

The member for Macarthur can cease interjecting as well. And the member for Solomon is warned. I call the member for Maribyrnong.