Mr MORRISON (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (15:23): On 20 January 2020 the National Incident Room for COVID-19 was activated by the government. It wasn't until 12 March that the World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic. But by that time Australia had already called it. Australia had already begun its response. Australia had already closed its borders. It was only the day after that that the governments of Australia, the states and territories, came together. I remember the day very, very well. We were out in Western Sydney, at Bankwest Stadium, and we were updated during the course of that meeting on the rapid escalation in cases that had been unanticipated. I recall at the commencement of that meeting that the then Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, had already reported to the premiers, the chief ministers and me and those who were also in attendance that day. The Governor of the Reserve Bank was there on that day to speak about what the potential economic consequences of this were. And the head of the National Coordination Mechanism, which had been set up in the Department of Home Affairs to ensure there was integration between industry, business and governments in handling our response to the pandemic, was there. Later that day, on the 13th, we agreed that the federation had to operate in a very different way to how it had previously throughout its entire history. Since that day we have come together on 50 occasions, as Australians of different political persuasions, as governments, small and large, to work together to manage our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 50 occasions we have met in good faith and in good sense to take the necessary steps needed to protect Australian lives and protect Australian livelihoods. It's true that over the course of that time, from that day to this one, no government has got everything right, whether here in Australia or anywhere else around the world, but I remember those fears at that time very vividly. I remember the fears of what this could do to our most vulnerable communities, and I particularly recall—and I remember discussing it with the Minister for Indigenous Australians—the community we feared for most was Indigenous Australians and the impact it would have on them. We thought that across our country, where we have strong public health systems—and aren't we grateful for that, and the investments that we've made in our health systems in this country? We knew that would provide us and afford us some measure of protections, and we were also thinking of what this might mean for the countries around us, particularly our Pacific family and friends and what this virus may do to them. We were already activating and engaging with them as to how we might help them through this crisis. If I had told you on that day, on 13 March 2020, as the world was struck down by this pandemic over the next 18 months, that Australia would have one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, compared to countries just like Australia, and would save over 30,000 lives, you certainly would have believed me. If I'd told you we were going to go into recession at that time because of the pandemic, you certainly would have believed me when I said that. But if I told you that less than 12 months after that a million people would be back at work and Australia's economy would be stronger at that point on the other side than what it was before, if I told you that we'd work together with the states and territories so that around about half a million people would come through our borders and that the quarantine system, put together by states and territories with the Commonwealth, would have a 99.9 per cent effectiveness rate in stopping the transmission of the virus as those half a million people came to the country, you wouldn't have believed me. Opposition members interjecting— Mr MORRISON: And those opposite might mock, but this is what Australians have achieved. More than 30,000 lives saved, working with our industry and businesses, JobKeeper COVID supplements, cashflow bonus and now the COVID disaster payment. Australians have been carrying Australians through this crisis, and they have had the great support of their governments at unprecedented levels—working each and every day as 'team Australia' to get this as right as we possibly can. One of the key things we have done throughout this is we have been informed by the best possible medical advice and by the best medical advisers in the world. Whether it be the Therapeutic Goods Administration, whether it be our Chief Medical Officer, whether it be the expert medical panel: all of these people and organisations have been informing us. These groups have been meeting on an almost daily basis for 18 months, and my government, and the governments around this country, have listened carefully, taken that advice and acted accordingly. And Australia, together, has saved lives and saved livelihoods. That is what we've done, and that's why my government does not support misinformation in any way, shape or form. We do not. That is not the position of the government. My government will not support those statements where there is misinformation that is out and about in the community, whether it's posted on Facebook or in social media or it's written in articles or statements made in this chamber or anywhere else. But what I'm not going to do is engage in a partisan debate on this. I'm not, because what I know is that Australians aren't interested in the politics of COVID. They're not interested in the noise of COVID and they're not interested in the shouting of COVID. What they're interested in is that we make our Australian way through this crisis. And I'll tell you what: our Australian way through this crisis has stood tall in the world. Australia's role in this crisis has stood tall in the world—whether it's Bill Gates or others who have looked at what has happened around the world and have said that Australia has stood out. Now, we haven't got everything right, but where we haven't, I tell you we've applied ourselves to address those problems, to fix those problems and to get it right. It doesn't matter how you start the race; it's how you finish the race. It's how you finish the race— Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Members on my left! Mr MORRISON: and we are going to finish this race, as a government, when it comes to this issue. We're going to finish this race and we're going to run the race all the way to the finish line, but we're going to do it as team Australia. We're not going to do it in a way which seeks to divide Australians and set Australians one against the other. We're not going to do it in a way which seeks to demonise people in this country. We're going to listen carefully to the people of Australia. We're going to listen carefully to their anxieties and concerns, and we're going to work with them. Our vaccine is free. Our vaccine is not mandatory. It is necessary that during the suppression phase we have the lockdowns and we have the restrictions. They're necessary for the public health of this nation. So my government will continue to focus on the job at hand. My government will continue to focus on the public health of Australians. It will continue to focus on working together with Australians, not on setting them apart from one another. My government will focus on the results that Australians want to achieve. For others, it is up to them. If they want to undermine that effort with misinformation and if they want to undermine that effort by undermining the government's attempts and talking Australia down—if they wish to do that—that is a matter for them. My government will remain focused on the public health, lives and livelihoods of Australians. As we continue to roll out the vaccine we will, by the end of this year, be able to say that we have saved the lives of over 30,000 Australians, we have put a million people back into work, we have vaccinated the country and we're achieving the goals that we have set. That is what Australians are focused on. They're interested in their health, their jobs and their futures. They're not interested in the politics of COVID. They're not interested in the phony debates. What they're interested in is the results in Australian lives and livelihoods being saved. That's what we're focused on and that's what we will focus on every single day. We do not support misinformation in any way, shape or form. (Time expired)