House debates

Thursday, 12 August 2021

Questions without Notice

Prime Minister

3:01 pm

Photo of Pat ConroyPat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to reports of the Prime Minister's verbal spat with the New South Wales Treasurer over his inadequate financial support for the people of New South Wales. When is the Prime Minister going to stop swearing at treasurers and blaming others for his failures and do his two jobs, on vaccines and quarantine?

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The very last part of the question is in order. The Prime Minister has the call.

3:02 pm

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

What the Australian government has done, together with the New South Wales government, is delivering support to businesses in New South Wales that is urgently needed as they work through this pandemic. We've been working closely with the New South Wales government to achieve that, and I'm very pleased that we were able to come to those arrangements not just on one occasion but to upgrade those arrangements, with the work that was done between the Treasurer and I and the Premier of New South Wales and the New South Wales Treasurer. What matters is that we get this support to those people who need it. I've just mentioned the significant support that has been provided through the COVID disaster assistance payment in New South Wales that has resulted in $1.7 billion of support going to people who have lost more than eight hours—not just more than 20 hours but more than eight hours—including those who are on benefit payments, which was the last issue of improvement that we made to those COVID disaster payments after we were working together with the New South Wales government. Increasingly, as the New South Wales government ensures that those payments are being made to New South Wales businesses, that's going to help them come through this current lockdown and be able to get to the other side.

One thing I know—and I know it because we saw it last year when we came back from the COVID-19 recession, when we got to the point where we were able to graduate the Australian economy off JobKeeper, and I remember those opposite a-hopin' and a-prayin' that 100,000 people would still be out of a job, and they were proved wrong, and those results did not happen as they were trying to doomingly project—

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

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

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

On reflections on members: last week no-one from this side raised a point of order about the state of the Deputy Prime Minister when he stood at that dispatch box. The allegations that the Prime Minister wants to make here—

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Leader of the House has the call.

Photo of Christian PorterChristian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

That's obviously meant to be some sort of personal reflection, which has to come in another form. That really is beneath the Manager of Opposition Business—it really is.

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

Did you hear the reflection that he made? Somehow that goes—

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will cease interjecting. I will just make the point that the reason question time gets to this robust state is that some of the questions carry some pretty heavy character assessments in them as well. In allowing and encouraging free speech, I allow it on the basis that, once that question's been asked, it actually allows the responder to respond to the issue without the accusation simply standing there. I do object to members reflecting on each other in that way. I've always made the point that, if a member has a problem with the conduct of another member, they need to raise it with me or in the House, and no-one has. The Prime Minister has the call.

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

While those opposite have sought to undermine the government, to talk down the programs like JobKeeper that we've put in place, to distance themselves and call it a waste, to undermine the government's efforts as we've sought to deal with the significant challenges we've had in the early phases of the vaccination program, which we have now turned around thanks to the magnificent efforts of those working in the Australian Public Service and under General Frewen's leadership, but more important those on the ground working in the vaccination clinics and in the vaccination hubs, today throughout question time our government has been thanking Australians for the work that they have done. We thank them for the work that they have done to get Australia on track because those Australians know that they want Australia to succeed. They want these programs to succeed because they know that that is the path back. We have set out the national plan that sets out that path for Australians to be able to make their way back from and through this COVID pandemic. And we will continue on that path, whether the opposition wants to support us or not.