Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) | Hansard source

Not only did they vote for it; they continually failed to raise the point that the $50 million that was budgeted to be spent annually has been spent. In fact, a third round has been announced. You cannot deny the reality that $50 million a year from that fund has been spent and the reality that the $150 million balance was only to be spent after the billions of dollars of categories C and D funding, which goes to the states, had been exhausted. It's unfortunate that the opposition don't understand the legislation and the focus of what they voted for and how they could have assisted change.

In the politicisation of disasters, they want to discuss what happened in Lismore. I just want to call out the member for Page, Kevin Hogan. The circumstances that his people have lived through are truly cataclysmic. It is one of the worst disasters in living memory, because these houses have been completely destroyed—10,000 people are without homes. Yet those opposite want to politicise that and discuss that, while the Prime Minister had COVID, he should have magically been able to be in Lismore. Meanwhile, the opposition leader had left the state to fly to Western Australia. It would be good for that reality to be in place.

Honourable senators interjecting—