Senate debates Documents

COVID-19: International Travel; Order for the Production of Documents


Anne Urquhart

Anne Urquhart Tasmania, Australian Labor Party

4:34 pm

At the request of Senator Keneally, I move:

That—

(a) there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Prime Minister, by no later than 2 pm on Thursday, 10 February 2022, all correspondence between the Prime Minister, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Minister for Sport, and their offices, between 1 November 2021 and 20 January 2022 related to:

(i) player entry and vaccination requirements for the Australian Open, including vaccine exemptions, and

(ii) Mr Novak Djokovic; and

(b) the correspondence ordered at paragraph (a) includes, but is not limited to, emails, letters, text messages, iMessages and messages sent via online or encrypted messaging applications.

Jonathon Duniam

Jonathon Duniam Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries

NIAM (—) (): I seek leave to make a short statement.

Slade Brockman

Slade Brockman President

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam

Jonathon Duniam Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries

The decisions and actions of government are on the public record. The Morrison government will continue to ensure that those who cross our border comply with our laws and requirements, and we will remove those who don't. The government welcomed the Federal Court's decision to uphold the immigration minister's cancellation of Mr Djokovic's visa on public interest grounds.

Pauline Hanson

Pauline Hanson Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party

4:35 pm

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Slade Brockman

Slade Brockman President

Leave is granted for one minute.

Pauline Hanson

Pauline Hanson Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party

The issue around Novak Djokovic was a sorry episode in the story of the pandemic. He met the entry requirements, and the courts backed him when the government decided to shift the goalposts. Then they kicked Djokovic out anyway, on the basis that his views were a threat to public health and good order—not whether he actually had COVID. What rubbish. From the beginning of the pandemic to June last year, Scott Morrison let more than 1.67 million people into Australia, and nearly all of them were unvaccinated. They brought delta and omicron with them.

The government's hypocrisy over Djokovic was stunning. Pretending his views were a threat that justified his deportation showed the contempt that this government has for the intelligence of the Australian people, and that's why I back the Australian people outside the parliament in recent days protesting about vaccine mandates. Labor have a lot to answer for as well, because they supported the government on the handling of Djokovic. (Time expired)

Slade Brockman

Slade Brockman President

The question is that motion 1307 be agreed to.