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

I thank the member for Bass for her question and her leadership in her community, particularly as all members in this place seek to support those all around Australia who are either directly or indirectly impacted—indeed, as they are in the member for Bass's electorate because of the lockdowns in both New South Wales and in Victoria and the impact that they are having in Tasmania.

The government has set out an agreed national plan to chart Australia's way out of this crisis and to ensure that we can live with the virus into the future. That plan has been set out, and it focuses our efforts as a country forward. Each day, we are taking a step further, closer to that goal. Each day, we are getting further along this journey. In fact, in the seven-day period up until yesterday, Sunday, 1.3 million doses were delivered—in a one week period. That is almost the population of the city of Adelaide in just one week. That is the rate of vaccination now being achieved in the national vaccination program. We've overcome the challenges that we had early in the program and are turning the corner, to ensure that Australians can move forward on the path ahead. The world is dealing with the third wave of the delta variant, and that has changed the way that we have to address that at all levels within this country. The success of regrettable but necessary measures that have been put in place by the states, with lockdowns where outbreaks occur, is vital to ensuring that we enter the next phase, at 70 per cent vaccinated, in the best possible shape, because the fewer cases we go into phase b with, the better off we all are.

Dr Freelander interjecting—

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