Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

COVID has been brutal, but we have responded in a uniquely Australian way. The Morrison government's response has been evidence based and expert informed, and it has engaged with the public to ensure that they respect the decisions that have been made on their behalf. It communicated honestly and clearly about COVID in 2020. By building that trust and acting on evidence and expert informed advice, Australians themselves have acted in a way that has helped keep all of us safe. That has helped us to be the envy of the world when it comes to our COVID response.

It is this approach that continues now as we move into that all-important stage of the COVID vaccine rollout. Our government will continue to be open and transparent about risks and benefits so that the public continue to trust and respect our public health advice. That advice today is that it is the start of phase 1b. If you are eligible for phase 1b, please don't hesitate to vaccinate. Today is an important day in our vaccine rollout. It begins with the general population, now including those who are over the age of 70 years of age, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 55 years, an increased group of health workers, people with a disability and people with specific medical conditions

General practices will play a major role in this phase which is ensuring Australians who seek to be vaccinated have access to safe and free COVID-19 vaccines. More than 1,000 general practices will join the COVID-19 vaccination program, with this set to increase to over 4,000 by the end of April. We've heard many times before that this is one of the biggest public health initiatives taken in this country in living memory. Individual general practices have been assigned a dose allocation based on geographic distribution and density of phase 1b priority population in the area, along with the standard whole-patient equivalent. GPs will progressively release appointments, so it is important to be patient as we start this new phase, 1b. Everyone in 1b will get the opportunity to be vaccinated in coming weeks, but it will take time for this to scale up.

Let me be clear: on the basis of medical advice renewed again today from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Chief Medical Officer and the Australian technical advisory group, the minister for health, Greg Hunt, and the government have strong, clear and unequivocal support for the continued rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The European Medicines Agency completed a preliminary review on 18 March of reports of some clotting events following people receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. They have concluded that the benefits of vaccination using the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continue to outweigh any risk of side effects.

In fact, today our very own TGA has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine to be manufactured right here in Australia. This is a critical and very exciting milestone in Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's important because CSL, located in my home state of Victoria, in Melbourne, will manufacture 50 million doses. This is important because it will enable us to produce one million doses per week locally. We no longer need to rely on our vaccine supply chain or to have the sovereign risk of waiting for supplies from overseas.

In preparation for phase 1b, I encourage Australians to go to the health.gov.au website and use the eligibility checker so they can find out which phase of the rollout they are in. If you are eligible, you'll be able to view vaccination clinics and book an appointment online or by phone on the national coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccination helpline at 1800020080. If you are not eligible, you'll be able to register your interest so that you can be notified when you're able to book. With over six million Australians in this phase of 1b it is vital that all Australians remain patient. And, please, be polite to our frontline workers and receptionists.

I know that in my seat of Higgins there has been great enthusiasm for the rollout of 1b, and I can reassure people that no-one will miss out on their opportunity to access a safe and free COVID vaccine in Australia. It won't matter if they live in a city or a country town, or in a very remote area—or, indeed, in Higgins—every Australian will have the opportunity. Our government is backing this up with 100 Aboriginal health services and 130 Commonwealth operated and GP led respiratory clinics. This will help ensure that all Australians can have a safe and effective vaccine. When it comes to your turn to be vaccinated, please don't hesitate to do so.

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