Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

But our government, also in keeping Australians safe, works to protect Australians from harm. In particular, that involves the work that the Australian government has done with the states and territories to keep Australians safe during this pandemic. Operation COVID Shield has now seen, with the vaccination program, almost two-thirds of over 70-year-olds having received their first dose; almost 50 per cent, 48.62 per cent, of over 50s having received their first dose; and over a quarter of Australians aged over 16 having received their first dose. On Monday, some 128,643 received a dose. That is the highest Monday record we've seen. Operation COVID Shield, led by Lieutenant General Frewen, is continuing to drive the vaccination program forward to put us in a position for all those Australians who wish to have a vaccination to have it before the end of the year.

There's the economic recovery plan handed down in the budget; the increased defence cooperation with our key allies and partners within the region and our Quad partners in Japan, the United States and India—and, importantly and increasingly, our defence cooperation with our European partners, with Germany, France and, of course, the United Kingdom; the increased powers for law enforcement and resources for law enforcement, which have seen us ensure that Operation Ironside, one of the most sophisticated stings of criminal gangs anywhere in the world, led by our own Australian Federal Police, had stunning results; and, of course, the new laws to protect Australians, particularly women and children online. Our government is working and acting to keep Australians safe in a very uncertain world. Our government can be relied upon to do that each and every day.

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