House of Representatives
Tuesday 23 February 2021

It's a simple yes or no question: does this government think it's okay for a member of parliament to contradict public health advice? It shouldn't be a hard one to answer, but, for this government, we know it is. We're in the middle of a global pandemic. People's lives depend on our ability, as leaders, to provide them with reliable and true information. But the member for Hughes doesn't care about that. We know that he's happy to pedal misinformation about COVID-19, and this government, up until 11 am, was happy to let him do it. Despite his dangerous views, the member for Hughes was still welcomed in the Liberal Party room this morning.

The member for Hughes has decided he's had a gutful of this Prime Minister, but this Prime Minister hasn't had a gutful of him. Let's not forget that he was the Prime Minister's hand-picked candidate for the 2019 election—a protected species by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. Even Facebook, as we know, has decided that Mr Kelly is too dangerous to have a public voice. A real leader would have taken action and stood up against this harmful rhetoric. Instead the Prime Minister sat by, either willingly or unwillingly, and allowed Mr Kelly to promote his dangerous views. The member for Hughes has run rings around the Prime Minister, and it's typical that the Prime Minister has only now found his voice. Prime Minister, start leading; start acting.