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

My question is to the Prime Minister. How many more outbreaks does there have to be until the Prime Minister understands that he needs to do his job and deliver a safe, national, purpose-built quarantine system and fix his bungled vaccine rollout?

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

Well, there you see it, Mr Speaker—the bipartisan display in the fight against the virus! That's what we've seen from the Labor Party, all the way through this, at every opportunity, when they're tested: they'd rather fight the Liberal Party—fight those Tories! That is the reason the Leader of the Labor Party came here. He didn't come here to work together to get solutions. He just came here to fight and fight the Tories. Fighting the Tories isn't going to fight the virus. That's what this government is doing. Under this government, working with the states and territories, 30,000 deaths have been avoided in this country when you compare it to the average of OECD countries around the world. There are more people in jobs today than there were before the pandemic. The Leader of the Labor Party may want to play politics with the pandemic. He may want to—

Mr Frydenberg interjecting—

Mr Albanese interjecting—

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

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Treasurer will cease interjecting. I remind the House again that I've issued a general warning. The Prime Minister has been answering the question for exactly a minute. It was a very specific question. He's entitled to a short preamble. Can I say, he's had a long preamble and he needs to bring himself to the specifics of the question.

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

Half a billion dollars invested in the national resilience facility for quarantine in the Northern Territory—that was the recommendation of the Halton review that went to national cabinet, commissioned by national cabinet, to supplement the support that is being provided in the exercise of public health orders at a state level, as agreed by the national cabinet, to fight this pandemic. We're working to the plan that the states and territories and the Commonwealth agreed as part of the national cabinet. The Leader of the Labor Party opposed the national cabinet. Then he said he wanted to be on it. Then he opposed it again and said it was useless. This is a Leader of the Labor Party who hasn't sought to help—

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

Can I just say to the Prime Minister—

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

the government fight the virus—

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on direct relevance: what the Prime Minister is saying now is neither relevant nor true.

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

I'll just say to the Prime Minister: he needs to be relevant to the question. He's had a preamble, and he doesn't get a closing statement. He's had the preamble. I'm making myself very clear.

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

Mr Speaker, I was making direct reference to the quarantine system put in place by the government, with the states and territories, as part of the national cabinet—

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

Okay, I'm going to say to the Prime Minister—he can pause—he had done that, and he'd moved on. And I'm asking you to return to the question.

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

I'm happy to do that, Mr Speaker—

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

I don't care whether you're happy or not.

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

Okay.

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

You need to return to the question.

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

Half a billion invested in the national resilience facility, putting in place support to go with a further system around the country, done with the states and territories, that has delivered a 99.99 per cent effectiveness rate for quarantine in this country. That is just a simple fact. That is the system that this country has put in place. They are the facts of the effectiveness of the system run by our states and territories, together with the Commonwealth. Those opposite may want to talk it down. Those opposite may want to undermine public confidence, whether it's in the vaccine program or in the quarantine system—

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Isaacs will leave under standing order 94(a).

The member for Isaacs then left the chamber.

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

Those opposite seek to play politics with the pandemic, as they have done right from the outset.