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

ESE (—) (): My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Why did the Prime Minister in his last answer say that he didn't pay parents to vaccinate their children when that is exactly what his government did?

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

MORRISON (—) (): The entitlement which is provided to Australians, which the member refers to, was not being made to those who weren't getting their children vaccinated to attend child care. That is the policy. That is the withdrawing of a payment, not the paying of it. The Leader of the Opposition seems confused about this. I know what the Leader of the Opposition's policy was over these last months. He wanted to pay people with a cash bribe to get vaccinated. That was the Leader of the Opposition's policy.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

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

Yes, Mr Speaker, on relevance. This went to the Prime Minister's No Jab, No Pay policy and the fact that he, once again, before the chamber, misled the parliament in saying that he didn't pay people. That's why it was called 'No Jab, No Pay', because you were paying people.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House has the call.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, there are many occasions where the Leader of the Opposition comes to the dispatch box under the guise of making a point of order. It doesn't happen. He makes a political statement from the dispatch box, and he should be ruled out of order.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is in order and he is being relevant.

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

The Leader of the Opposition wanted to be the $6 billion man, by paying people for vaccines they'd already had. That was his policy—economic recklessness.

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

Point of order.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business would know that there is one point of order on relevance. What's the point of order?

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

On the order of the House, Mr Speaker.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat.

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

Mr Speaker—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Manager of Opposition Business, there is one opportunity to raise a point of order on relevance. What's the point of order?

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

The point of order is with respect to the ruling that you made, where you ruled that the Prime Minister was in order on the basis that he was being relevant to the question. That's what you ruled. And, to that ruling, I'm saying: how can it be, when a question has nothing to do with Labor policy, that you're now going to allow an answer like this? How does that happen?

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call and the Prime Minister is relevant.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The policies that we've put in place have ensured that we have had record levels not only of child immunisation; the policies we have pursued through the pandemic were not to pay people cash bribes, as the Labor leader wished to do, but we—

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

Mr Speaker—

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

He is very precious today, Mr Speaker.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. Has the Prime Minister finished his answer? The Leader of the Opposition?

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

Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister just made a very specific allegation, which was unparliamentary, against a member of parliament. If he wants to accuse people of that, he needs to withdraw. It cannot be allowed to stand. If that's allowed to stand then it will be a free-for-all.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. It shouldn't come as any great surprise that the level of interjections was so great that I actually didn't hear what the Prime Minister said. Did the Prime Minister make an unparliamentary comment?

An opposition member: Yes, he did.

Well, I'm not in a position—if the Leader of the Opposition would just resume his seat for a moment. If the level of interjections was so high that I simply could not hear what the Prime Minister was saying then it shouldn't come as any great surprise that I can't rule on that. The Prime Minister has indicated—the Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat for a moment. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Mr Speaker—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you making another point of order? What's the point of order?

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

In what you dealt with just then, you asked the Prime Minister whether or not he believed he'd said something unparliamentary. What I am putting to you, so that you know what was said, is that it was an accusation using a term that is a criminal offence. If you're going to allow that to stand, that is a very significant shift, a very significant shift.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business—

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

The use of the word 'bribe' has not been allowed in this House. If you're now going to shift that ruling and make that as a formal ruling, then do it upfront but not—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Manager of Opposition Business, as I indicated just a moment ago, I didn't hear what the Prime Minister had said.

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

That's why I'm letting you know what was said.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the Prime Minister used an allegation of bribery, the Prime Minister should withdraw it.

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

I make no such accusation against any individual member.

An opposition member: You did!

I said I make none now. I make none now, Mr Speaker. I was talking about his policy, and what a dud—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! The level of interjections is too high. If I can't hear what's being said—

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

Mr Speaker, I'm happy to withdraw if it assists the House.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister.

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

Mr Speaker, let me be clear about what the Labor policy was. This Leader of the Opposition wanted to pay people to get vaccinations; he wanted to pay people cash.

Opposition members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat for one moment. I just want to make very clear that, if members of this House are wanting me to be able to rule on issues, I need to be able to hear them. So the level of interjections is far too high, and I would appreciate if those honourable members would conduct themselves appropriately. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

That is the Labor policy—to pay people who'd already had vaccinations. I can understand why the Leader of the Labor Party is so embarrassed about this policy. It was a fiscally reckless policy and it's why he can't be trusted with the nation's finances.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The question didn't refer to Labor Party policies, Prime Minister, and I'd ask you to be relevant to the question, please.

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

Mr Speaker, if the question were about Labor Party policies it would be a very short answer, because there are not many out there, I've got to tell you. There's only one thing worse than Australians knowing what Labor would do; it is them not knowing what Labor would do, because they're trying to sneak their way into government. This is a very sneaky Leader of—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. Has the Prime Minister completed his answer? Yes. The member for Flynn has the call.