Health services MPI 09/08/2021

This matter of public importance is typical Labor: it's all about playing the man and not the facts. I just want to touch on Senator O'Neill's comments about the bushfires. That was one of the most egregious displays of political partisanism I've ever seen. State governments are responsible for national parks, they're responsible for fire and emergency services, and they're responsible for zoning. And can I add that in 2009, when 180 people died in Victoria on Black Saturday, you didn't see the federal coalition, who was in opposition at the time, blaming Kevin Rudd for the bushfires, because it was a state issue—all the things that deal with bushfires. Obviously these things will happen in Australia at the worst of times, when you have a dry summer, but Senator O'Neill makes a partisan political point out of this when the responsibility lies with the state governments...

For my full speech visit my website at www.gerardrennick.com.au