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Scott Morrison says emergency response plan implemented to deal with coronavirus – politics live Scott Morrison says 'the risk of a pandemic is very much upon us' – politics live
(32 minutes later)
The prime minister says ‘we believe the risk of a pandemic is very much upon us’. All the day’s events, live The prime minister announces Australia’s emergency response plan has been implemented to deal with coronavirus. All the day’s events, live
Patricia Karvelas just asked Anthony Albanese about the “playing politics” allegation:
Just on the ‘where was Anthony Albanese’ question raised in the press conference there, we are told that the meeting wasn’t confirmed until the last minute.
Albanese was with the prime minister at the time.
Chris Bowen went to the meeting in his place, as did some of Albanese’s staff, once the briefing was confirmed and received apologies for the late confirmation of the meeting.
As for the advice the government has released, Labor says that is the same as was released publicly on February 18.
Scott Morrison finishes that press conference with this message:
Greg Hunt:
Just in terms of briefings with Labor.
On the third of February, we briefed the opposition and these will generally involve either the chief medical officer or the deputy chief medical officer and members from my staff.
The third of February, Senator Keneally, Senator Wong, Joel Fitzgibbon, Jim Chalmers, on 12 February, the leader of the opposition, between the 12th and the 23rd of February, regular briefings in particular with the shadow health minister’s office.
On the 24th of February, shadow health minister Chris Bowen. And last night, a briefing for the leader of the opposition and Chris Bowen.
I understand that at the last minute the leader of the opposition was unable to attend last night’s briefing at approximately 7.30pm.
His office was present. Chris Bowen was there.
I’ll leave it to the leader of the opposition, I believe approximately 7.30 last night. And we will continue to provide those briefings.
It is appropriate for the national security committee to meet today. It would have been ideal if it had been able to meet uninterrupted because they were notified that we were meeting for this very purpose. But we’ll continue to provide those briefings and they’ll have to explain that.
Scott Morrison:
Can I thank Zali Steggall and Rebekha Sharkie who agreed to support the government on any procedural motions that they may have been engaged in this afternoon and enable us, the minister for health and I, to undertake the press conference.
Q: Mr Albanese suggested you’re acting politically and without decency by not briefing the opposition before you made this announcement. How do you react to that?
Scott Morrison:
On the question of what the economic boost Scott Morrison was talking about actually means, the prime minister says:
Health ministers will gather tomorrow to discuss the response, now that the emergency plan is being put into action.
Sabra Lane, from the ABC’s AM program, did a very good interview this morning about what a pandemic declaration would mean.
You can find that here.
She asked professor Alexandra Phelan what it would mean if Australia enacted its emergency plan (as is happening here).
The travel ban to China will continue for another week.The travel ban to China will continue for another week.
There is a significant change of language here, with Scott Morrison, when it comes to boosting the economy. From almost ruling it out, to considering it if it was “targeted, modest and scalable”: There is a significant change of language here with Scott Morrison when it comes to boosting the economy. From almost ruling it out, to considering it if it was “targeted, modest and scalable”:
Scott Morrison:Scott Morrison:
If you do go out for a Chinese meal (and I encourage you to do so, if you can, because it is delicious and also, because these small businesses really, really need our help right now) I hope it is succulent.If you do go out for a Chinese meal (and I encourage you to do so, if you can, because it is delicious and also, because these small businesses really, really need our help right now) I hope it is succulent.
Scott Morrison has implemented Australia’s emergency response plan to deal with coronavirus.Scott Morrison has implemented Australia’s emergency response plan to deal with coronavirus.
He says while the World Health Organization hasn’t yet declared it a pandemic, he believes it is upon us, and it is time to enact the plan.He says while the World Health Organization hasn’t yet declared it a pandemic, he believes it is upon us, and it is time to enact the plan.
Scott Morrison is giving an update on Covid-19.Scott Morrison is giving an update on Covid-19.
It is now spreading faster outside of China, for the first time.It is now spreading faster outside of China, for the first time.
While I am still wearing my ranty pants about the wellbeing budget mocking that Josh Frydenberg has engaged in ALL week, Jacinda Ardern is visiting Australia this week, and New Zealand DOES have a wellbeing budget, as part of its annual budget statement. So we are now also mocking one of our closest allies.While I am still wearing my ranty pants about the wellbeing budget mocking that Josh Frydenberg has engaged in ALL week, Jacinda Ardern is visiting Australia this week, and New Zealand DOES have a wellbeing budget, as part of its annual budget statement. So we are now also mocking one of our closest allies.
Get. In. The. Bin.Get. In. The. Bin.
Friday is shaping up as a very busy day.Friday is shaping up as a very busy day.
The prime minister is holding a press conference at 3.45pm in the PMO courtyard, the most serious of press conference locations.The prime minister is holding a press conference at 3.45pm in the PMO courtyard, the most serious of press conference locations.
The Senate inquiry into the sports grants affair has been extended until 24 June.
For the context:
Question time ends.
It’s time for the matter of public importance – which is on sports grants.
Pat Conroy starts with “this is a corrupt government, this is a corrupt government”, which he is asked to withdraw.
He does. Changing it to “this is a government that oversees corrupt processes”, which someone tries to make him withdraw, but it is allowed.
This is also because Labor is using it as well, moving to shut down members from the government from speaking, in revenge for the government shutting down its members.
Here is the latest motion to be shut down:
That the House:
1) notes:
a) Sport Australia has told the Parliament today that it provided a brief to Senator McKenzie on 3 April 2019 recommending 245 sports projects be approved;
b) Senator McKenzie wrote to the Prime Minister on 10 April, the day before he called the election, attaching a spreadsheet with projects she intended to approve by electorate, including party details;
c) on 11 April, the day the Prime Minister called the election, Senator McKenzie provided a brief to Sport Australia dated 4 April approving 228 projects for funding;
d) 73 per cent of projects approved by Senator McKenzie were not recommended by Sport Australia;
e) Sport Australia received the approved sports rorts list from Senator McKenzie after the election had been called and after caretaker conventions had commenced;
f) the Government approved a $50,000 grant to the Sans Souci Football Club in the Prime Minister’s own electorate despite the fact the project had already been built, had already been officially opened and was therefore ineligible for funding; and
g) the Prime Minister is the masterchef of cooking the books; and
2) declares the Prime Minister has repeatedly misled the Parliament and he should have the integrity to correct the record as required by House practice; and
3) calls on the Prime Minister to provide a full and frank account as to why he has used taxpayer money to advance his own Government’s partisan political interests.
Labor has returned to the signed brief of sports grants, asking how it could have been signed on 4 April if Bridget McKenzie only sought the prime minister’s feedback on 10 April.
Mathias Cormann rejected the characterisation of communication with the PMO on 10 April, explaining communication was to “make arrangements with respect to announcements”.
Asked what steps Scott Morrison took to assure himself the brief was not backdated, Cormann pointed to the Sport Australia evidence the brief was “dated 4 April”.
Asked if he can rule out that the brief was backdated, Cormann again pointed to the Sport Australia evidence the brief was “dated 4 April”.
The standard of ‘debate’ in the Australian parliament today:
Anthony Albanese is now moving a motion to suspend standing orders, over the sports grants revelations today.
It will fail.
Scott Briggs, a close ally of Scott Morrison, has left the board of a consortium bidding for the highly controversial contract to privatise Australia’s visa processing system.
Briggs, a former deputy director of the New South Wales Liberal party, was heading up a consortium named Australia Visa Processing, which was one of the frontrunners for the $1bn visa processing contract.
Briggs is also a former colleague of the current immigration minister, David Coleman.
The Guardian recently revealed that the Liberals had mistakenly disclosed a $165,000 donation from a separate company set up by Briggs, Southern Strategy.
The donation was initially declared but then scrubbed from the party’s donation records after questions from the Guardian.
Labor’s Andrew Giles has seized on Briggs’ departure, saying it shows the “complete chaos” of the government’s plan to privatise the visa system.
“We also know fundamentally that this is just a bad idea,” Giles told reporters this morning.
“Australians don’t want our visa system sold off to the highest bidder. Even Peta Credlin has acknowledged that this is a threat – not only to our national security, but our border security.”
Corporate documents confirm Briggs is no longer a director of Australian Visa Processing.
The Australian Financial Review reported that he has taken a job with DPG Advisory Solutions, a lobbying firm headed by David Gazard.