House debates Statements by Members

M1 Pacific Motorway, Morrison Government: COVID-19

Wednesday, 23 June 2021 House of Representatives

Meryl Swanson

Meryl Swanson Paterson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence

1:51 pm

So you're back from outer space—at least, that was the inquiry—and I look to see you there with that sad look upon your face. I should have changed that stupid lock. I should have made you leave your key, member for New England, if I'd known that you'd be back to bother me. I say, 'Go on, now, go'—I will survive, but I need the M1 done, member for New England. I need the M1 done for the people of my community. The New South Wales government has said that this government—now the Morrison-Joyce government—hasn't delivered enough vaccines and hasn't delivered quarantine. I've lost faith now in the member for Wagga Wagga; he's not delivering the M1 upgrade. So I am saying: deliver this. Deliver vaccines and deliver quarantine, but deliver the M1 upgrade in my electorate. It is the last chokepoint between Sydney and Brisbane—not that you can get out of Sydney at the moment, thanks to this government. Not enough people have been jabbed. We've heard so much gab from this Prime Minister. He is the master of spin and marketing, but he couldn't build a quarantine system to save himself. Now, everyone in my electorate and in Sydney have been impacted by this. All of the small businesses across Australia have been terribly impacted by this. There's only one person to blame, and that's the Prime Minister, now aided and abetted by the new Deputy Prime Minister.

Tony Smith

Tony Smith Speaker

I say to the member for Paterson that she needs to address her remarks from her allotted seat.

Ms Swanson interjecting—

Yes, yes.

Meryl Swanson

Meryl Swanson Paterson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence

Is that the case for everybody, Mr Speaker?

Tony Smith

Tony Smith Speaker

Frontbenchers can do that. I've made it very clear. I'm not going to waste the time of members. You've got an allotted seat, and it's very clear. I'm not going to have any argument on the matter.