Jacqui Lambie fires up at Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck

Jacqui Lambie has fired up at the aged care minister for going to the cricket after claiming he was too busy to front up to a Covid inquiry.

Senator Jacqui Lambie is not happy with Australia’s Covid response. Picture: NCA/NewsWire Gary Ramage

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has unleashed on the country’s aged care minister during an explosive Senate hearing about Covid-19.

Richard Colbeck is standing by his decision to go to the cricket on the same day he declined to attend an inquiry into Australia’s pandemic response.

During a fiery exchange on Wednesday, Senator Colbeck was grilled about whether he regretted the decision to go to the Ashes 5th Test in Hobart after the Prime Minister admitted it didn’t pass the pub test.

Senator Colbeck, who is also sports minister, had been asked to front up to the inquiry on January 14 but advised it was too crucial a time in the Omicron outbreak to be able to – but he then went to the evening match.

“Do you still think it was appropriate to attend the cricket?” Labor committee chair Katy Gallagher asked, pointing to the thousands of Covid cases in aged care and a request to bring in the Australian Defence Force at the time.

Aged care minister Richard Colbeck was grilled over his decision to go to the cricket. Picture: NCA/Gary Ramage

“I was very cognisant of the circumstances the sector was in, in fact all through that weekend I continued to work on matters relating to both my portfolios, particularly aged care, even though it was a weekend and I was attending the test match,” Senator Colbeck said.

“It was a decision I made. I have to stand by it and live with it. Other people will make judgment about it I’m sure, plenty already have.”

He said that the shadow minister for agriculture cut short a tour of regional Queensland with Labor leader Anthony Albanese to also go.

“The commentary that’s come on the back of it is a significant consequence whether I believe it was deserved or not is another question,” he said.

Senator Lambie unleashed on Senator Colbeck.

“I’d like to remind you that you are required to be honest and truthful when you appear as a witness before this committee,” she said.

“You told us you couldn’t attend the hearing on the 14th of January because it would divert government resources from the Covid response.

“Was that just an excuse, because quite frankly to me and the 534,000 other Tasmanians down her it looks like you didn’t want to come in because you would rather go to the cricket and drink coffees.”

Senator Colbeck answered: “I stand by the correspondence that I sent to the committee and I’ve never refused to appear before the committee”.

“The conversation we were having was around the timing.

Senator Colbeck said he stood by his choice to attend. Picture: NCA/Gary Ramage

“I’ve not on any occasion refused to appear before this committee, I have a very strong respect for the parliament and its processes and I was only too happy to work with the committee to organise an appropriate date.”

Senator Colbeck was also then forced to defend his $332,000 salary - which equates to $900 day - after Scott Morrison earlier this week announced two $800 bonus payments for aged care staff.

“So on the day you went to the cricket you earn more in a day than the bonuses you are paying aged care workers didn’t you?” Senator Janet Rice asked.

“That’s the case for every day of the year,” he responded.

The inquiry also heard that the Therapeutic Goods Administration had a tsunami of applications for rapid antigen tests to be approved for use in the last couple of days.

TGA boss John Skerritt said that they had 68 applications they were checking, while there were another 93 that had incomplete components which had been submitted.

“The real problem we’re having is that many of these companies do not have a background in medical products,” he said.

“It’s a different game in selling men’s socks than it is in selling RATs as far as consequences.

“If we are able to approve another 20 in the coming weeks that would be fantastic.”

Earlier in the hearing, Senator Lambie quizzed officials from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

She pointed to the Victorian government’s announcement that a RAT manufacturing hub would be established in Box Hill to produce about three million tests a month from July 2022.

“Why is it always the states who have to figure this out and it’s the federal government who throws its hands up and says it’s all too hard, not my job mate,” she asked.

Deputy secretary Alison Frame said numerous examples had been provided of the federal government supporting RATs and Covid equipment.

Senator Jacqui Lambie voiced her fury at Senator Colbeck. Picture: NCA/Gary Ramage

She said the commonwealth was directly procuring RATs from an Indigenous producer in western Sydney.

Senator Lambie earlier accused the federal government of not doing enough to support businesses wanting to manufacture RATs in Australia.

“Is there anyone manufacturing RATs here in Australia from start to finish? That’s what I want to know,” she asked.

“From complete woe to go manufacturing domestically in Australia, to my knowledge there’s not any producers right now that do that entire componentry in Australia,” said Kristen Tilley, who is the first assistant secretary for the office of supply chain resilience.

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet deputy secretary of social policy Alison Frame was questioned at the inquiry. Picture: NCA/Gary Ramage

Senator Lambie then pointed to comments from the TGA that it was waiting for a signal from the federal government before approving at-home tests in September last year.

“Why wasn’t the Australian government more proactive about getting these tests approved last year?” Senator Lambie asked.

“We knew we were opening up in October and November … we didn’t get ourselves ready to live with Covid at all.”

Ms Frame said: “The TGA approved self-tests in October last year and they had been used prior to that for trial purposes in residential aged care facilities.”

Originally published as Jacqui Lambie fires up at Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck