Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] A Kinsley gaffe is when a political figure accidentally tells the truth—some obvious truth that isn't supposed to be voiced. This morning we saw an example of such a gaffe. The Deputy Prime Minister really belled the cat, didn't he! When pressed on why he wouldn't be reining in Mr Christensen about his comments, Mr Joyce said this:

… I can assure you that when you've got a thin margin, don't start giving reasons for a by-election.

It was a moment when the Deputy Prime Minister accidentally told the truth, revealing that he and the Prime Minister were always keeping an eye on their political interests, even when it involved a member of the government spreading dangerous disinformation about vaccines and lockdowns—the two public health tools that we have to fight the delta variant. Just to really prove that Mr Joyce meant what he said, the government then tried to use its numbers in the Senate today to protect Mr Christensen, Senator Canavan and Senator Rennick from being called out for their comments.

Today, while the government was busy trying to protect its political interests, the ACT joined New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland in lockdown. More than half of Australia's population is now under some form of COVID restrictions. While the risk of a by-election might be front of mind for Mr Joyce, I doubt that it is a concern for the millions of Australians who would just rather the Morrison government concentrated on doing its job. These are Australians who will lose their chance to say goodbye to a loved one. These are Australians whose children will be learning from home, without contact with anyone their own age, for months. These are Australians who will struggle financially because of the economic consequences of the delta wave, which this Prime Minister has overseen.

We would not be in this position if the Prime Minister had just done his job. In Newcastle, in my home state of New South Wales, there is an outbreak in an aged-care facility, and only a third of the staff have received even one dose of the vaccine. These workers were meant to be fully vaccinated by Easter, under the Prime Minister's plan. New South Wales towns like Walgett, Bourke and Brewarrina have been put into lockdown, and these towns have large First Nations populations. Despite the Prime Minister promising that First Nations Australians would be a priority in the vaccine rollout, only 10 per cent have been vaccinated. The Northern Rivers, where I grew up—Lismore, Bangalow, Byron, Casino—are locked down.

We have been left dangerously exposed by this government's failure to effectively roll out sufficient volumes of the vaccine and to take responsibility for establishing an effective national quarantine system. Senator Hughes's disgraceful and dishonest contribution just now, unhappily, is typical of the government's response. It's always someone else's fault. It's the opposition's fault. It's the community's fault. It's the workers' fault. It's the Italians' fault, sometimes. It's ATAGI's fault. It's the Premier's fault. Perhaps today it's my fault, if you listen to Senator Hughes. But the truth is that it is the responsibility of this government. Those opposite are responsible for the vaccine rollout and they are responsible for hotel quarantine and for a national quarantine system.

This government struggles to get the basics right. Official public health information for CALD communities is two months out of date. This outbreak is affecting communities in south-western Sydney, migrant communities who may not be confident reading official documentation in English. Despite this, the Arabic translation of the Department of Health's vaccination information doesn't mention that all adults in greater Sydney should get any vaccine that they can access.

Australians are scared. They are scared for their livelihoods, worried about their families' health; they are wondering when they'll be able to leave the restrictions and the lockdowns behind them. Don't worry! Mr Joyce and Mr Morrison have got it in hand. As they made clear this morning, their No. 1 priority is doing whatever it takes to make sure there isn't a by-election.