Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport) Share this | Hansard source

This is a great opportunity to come to the dispatch box and remind Australians that, whilst we stand here and trade metaphorical blows and political jibes, both sides of this House are united in trying to get out the other side of COVID for the betterment of the Australian public. It's only the contrast in what we believe is the best way to get there that brings us to this box.

The first speaker spoke about the government's failure and the second contribution spoke about chaos. I remind the House of the last time those who sit on the other side of this chamber were in government, and we saw what failure and chaos looked like. Let me remind you of nothing other than the pink batts scheme and the school halls program. That was lauded as an education revolution, but, within months of these halls going up all around the country, our academic standards, assessed via PISA internationally, went backwards. The largest contributor to GDP in my electorate is agriculture, and I will never let my cattle producers forget the chaos and failure caused by those who sit on the other side to live cattle export or the impact on our growers, our aviation, our transport operators, our maritime operators and our feed producers—those who lost their livelihoods as a result of policy settings. That is what failure and chaos look like.

It's ironic that today the MPI speaks of the cost and consequence of the rollout, yet the cornerstone of the debate that they bring to the table is an additional $2 billion cost—offering $300 incentives to Australians who have already been vaccinated. Is there a greater irony that this House would have to consider—to bring to the table an MPI that speaks about cost reduction, when the very cornerstone of the debate is increasing the cost?

It beggars belief.

We had two jobs—we're constantly reminded of that by the other side—and we do have two jobs, and we're getting on with doing them. Job 1: save lives. Our job as an Australian government is to save lives, and I think both sides of the House are united on that. The other job was to save our economy. Aged-care facilities fall within the Commonwealth purview, and all 2,566 Commonwealth aged-care facilities have received first and second doses of the vaccine. Almost 80 per cent of over-70s are protected with their first dose. Over 40 per cent of over-70s have received their second dose.

The government is united. We want to make sure that we have 70 per cent vaccinated—and that's agreed by national cabinet. All the states and territories agree. Seventy per cent of people per state vaccinated is the target they have accepted. Then, from a national perspective, it should be 80 per cent. The Doherty report has indicated that getting to 70 per cent population vaccine coverage will support optimal performance of test, trace, isolate and quarantine—TTIQ—capacity. Applying continuous low levels of social restriction will make the requirement for stringent lockdowns unlikely.

No-one in this House wants further lockdowns. They cripple our economy and affect the social welfare of the people who we come here to represent. At the moment, in my state of Queensland—the great state of Queensland—no fewer than 11 shires in the south-east corner are locked down, a situation we have not found ourselves in before. It lends greater sympathy for the states of Victoria and New South Wales, which have gone through lockdowns. We have a multiphase approach to get out the other side of this. We have saved lives. Internationally, no fewer than four million lives have been lost. Here in Australia, we are the envy of the world.

Our Prime Minister takes responsibility and says he's responsible for the vaccine program and he's responsible for getting it fixed. He's also said that we on this side of the House are fighting COVID and we will let those on the other side of the House come in and fight us.

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