The Morrison Government must withdraw its support for Clive Palmer’s legal challenge to Western Australia’s interstate border closure.

The three-day trial begins today in the Federal Court, with Mr Palmer and the Commonwealth arguing that WA’s border must re-open despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the eastern states.

It beggars belief that Scott Morrison and WA’s Liberal MPs, led by Attorney-General Christian Porter, are supporting legal action by a dodgy businessman that, if successful, could endanger the health of West Australians.

At the weekend, Mr Palmer described the coronavirus crisis as a “media beat-up” and claimed the symptoms of the illness were no worse than a cold.

These comments are a disgrace to the memory of hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have died during this pandemic.

He may think it’s a beat-up, but the virus is tragically real to the families suffering with the illness and grieving the death of loved ones.

The Morrison Government is only encouraging these comments by backing Mr Palmer.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has called on Scott Morrison to withdraw from the court challenge, but he has so far refused.

The Prime Minister’s decision to lend his support appears even more ridiculous given his support for the closure of the Victoria-NSW border.

And it smacks of hypocrisy after he cancelled the next scheduled sitting of Parliament due to the health risks of MPs and staff travelling to Canberra.

Labor calls on the Government to withdraw from the case before hearings begin today.