Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the developments worldwide on vaccines for COVID-19;

(b) that the Government has announced a $1billion agreement for two of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines, namely the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the University of Queensland/CSL vaccine;

(2) acknowledges that under the agreement, the Commonwealth has secured 84 million doses which will be almost entirely manufactured in Australia; and

(3) recognises that the Government is contributing significantly to COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, research and development work in Australia and around the world with an investment of $362 million.

I rise to move this motion today very proud of the incredible work that Australia's top health scientists are achieving and in particular to pay tribute to those working on the vaccine in my electorate of Ryan. As the world races to find a vaccine to the crippling coronavirus, Australia is a key player in vaccine development, with direct investment in the work being progressed at the University of Queensland, St Lucia, in our electorate of Ryan.

The Morrison government is steadfastly committed to ensuring that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be available as soon as possible. Our national goal is to make sure that every Australian who wants to be will be vaccinated by 2021 or in 2021. An effective vaccine will not only save lives; it will reunite families and boost our economic recovery. The Morrison government has announced production and supply agreements for the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca and the University of Queensland/CSL COVID-19 vaccines. Australia will acquire 33.8 million doses of the University of Oxford /AstraZeneca vaccine and 51 million doses of the UQ/CSL vaccine, with both likely to require two doses per person.

In October, the Prime Minister, when visiting our electorate of Ryan, was able to hear firsthand from the team at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland and to be updated on the vaccine's development. Then, just two weeks ago, the Minister for Health, also on a visit to our electorate of Ryan, attended the same labs to hear some excellent news from Professor Paul Young, who is leading the research team. Professor Young revealed that the early data from the phase 1 clinical trials indicated that the vaccine is safe and has been incredibly well tolerated amongst the trial participants. Professor Young also declared that these results showed that the vaccine induces a strong immune result and an antibody response equivalent to or better than what has been seen in COVID-19 patients. Importantly, the University of Queensland's COVID-19 vaccine trial is running ahead of schedule.

Professor Young and his team, as I commented on the day, are incredibly humble and modest people, but the reality is that they are working incredibly long hours and insanely hard. It is not only them but their families who are making sacrifices to make sure that they can work those long hours on behalf of Australians and the worldwide community. It was such a thrill to be there in the lab with the Minister for Health and the Prime Minister to talk to those researchers one on one and to hear about their efforts to create the vaccine, to hear their passion for the project, to hear how well the collaboration is working worldwide, with colleagues right around the world, who they are working together with every single day, and to hear how well the team is working within the lab itself. I have to say that, after such an anxious year for so many of us, holding that vaccine in my hand was quite a thrill.

Not all heroes wear capes, and in the Ryan electorate many of them wear lab coats. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank and honour the team that I met and all those behind them that are the hidden heroes behind this history-making research. I want members in this chamber and in the House to understand just how much work has been done in such a short time frame. On 10 January, the UQ team had their first official meeting and, from that day on, it was full steam ahead on vaccine creation. The very next day, 11 January, their own molecular clamp technology was put into action in the development of the candidate vaccine. By March, the team had selected their first vaccine construct and, by June, 120 volunteers had already been recruited for the trial and then, by September, an agreement for 51 million doses had been reached. The University of Queensland obviously has form when it comes to vaccine. It was in the electorate of Ryan that the very successful vaccine Gardasil was created, which helps women around the world with cervical cancer. Even with that success, this kind of speed for the team was something that they hadn't experienced before and it took an incredible amount of work. I would really like to thank all of the heroes that I met, particularly the brilliant scientists of the UQ vaccine team, Professor Paul Young, Professor Keith Chappell, Professor Trent Munro and Dr Daniel Watterson, for all their efforts in leading a team of over 105 special people, for whom Australia owes a great deal of gratitude.

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