Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that, in just the three weeks since parliament last sat, the government admitted it overestimated coverage of the JobKeeper scheme by three million workers, resulting in a $60 billion blunder; the government announced $720 million will be repaid to victims of the Prime Minister's illegal robodebt scheme; and Australia entered its first recession in three decades?

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

I can confirm that Australia has done incredibly well in dealing with one of the biggest challenges this country has faced—if not the biggest—since the Second World War. I can confirm that the government's focus each and every day is on ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of Australians and address the needs of Australians as we work through this difficult crisis.

The Leader of the Opposition makes reference to the national accounts, and it is indeed true that we had a negative quarter in March, of 0.3 per cent, and, based on the estimates that Treasury have provided to us, the June quarter is also likely to be negative, and that of course means a technical recession. That is true. It is a recession—there is no doubt about that—and I don't think there is an Australian in this country who doesn't understand the reason why.

But only those opposite would take joy in this fact and seek to use it for political purposes, because what we've seen from this opposition is not a contribution but just constant whining, undermining the government at every turn. As the government has sought to provide the support that Australians need, what we have seen from the opposition, disappointingly, is them seeking to even undermine measures that they support. The government has been put to the test during this crisis, and the government is providing the leadership and support that Australians need. The opposition is failing.