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

This government has not only taken the full brunt of this crisis on the chin; it has delivered the outcomes that every Australian needs and requires—and that has been from the very start of this pandemic. What is quite extraordinary about this pandemic is the daily ongoing onslaught of COVID not just here in Australia but right across the world. The fact that we have dealt with this dual health and economic crisis in such a good way is something all Australians should be proud of. We should be proud because we understand that the executive government has taken the right decision each and every step of the way. There has been aggressive suppression of COVID. You don't get aggressive suppression of COVID unless you have masks, PPE and sovereign supply. Done. You need to have enough COVID tests. Done. You need to have mental health support to ensure people can keep going. Done. You need to make sure we have the economic supports in place to ensure unemployment rates that are the lowest in over a decade. Done. You need to provide $84 billion in JobKeeper to help support jobs and to help businesses survive what has effectively been equal to the Great Depression and the Spanish flu coming at this country at speed. Done. You need to have cash flow boosts of $39 billion. Done. There are so many things we have done to make sure the Australian economy has kept going and the Australian healthcare system has kept going and kept doing what it does best, which is supporting Australians each and every day.

The way the other side goes on, you wouldn't think we've delivered all these things. What the other side are very good at is talking down Australians, talking down the Australian economy and talking down the Australian response. I'm very proud that, despite the fact the COVID pandemic has blown twists and turns at us every step of the way, this government has stood firm and has made the right decisions—decisions that have been strategic, that have been effective and that have delivered. All Australians should be very confident in the decisions that have been taken. Early on in the pandemic, we closed our borders internationally and took steps that no other country has taken—steps that were brave, strong and certain.

The other side is all about talking down this government's response. That is on the edge of dangerous; I believe it is irresponsible. When people hear that there are difficulties with the COVID rollout, some people understand that there has been a supply issue and there have been side effects—issues that are well beyond the control of any government. We've had a diversified portfolio of vaccines. Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna are all coming online. Novavax is coming online next year, because the pharmaceutical company itself has to get through some regulatory hoops that it has to deal with over in the United States. So we know that we've had a diversified portfolio. But, more than that, we knew that we would have to have sovereign supply because we had difficulties with PPE, masks and tests early on. The minister for health should be congratulated for the magnificent work he's been doing on securing supply in a very difficult international scenario. This is not an Australian problem, it is a global problem. But Australia has navigated through the storm of the COVID pandemic with a great sense of determination and the executive has been working in a strong and certain way to make sure Australia comes through this in the best situation possible.

When we look at the COVID vaccine rollout, the mocking from the other side is not helpful. We need a moment when we come together and realise that we are now delivering a vaccine rollout at speed. We have had 14 million vaccines delivered. Yesterday was a record day—260,000 vaccines were rolled out yesterday. Australians are putting their arms forward and getting that vaccine jab, because we know that is the best way we can move to the next phase.

The Prime Minister has led a country that has had to deal with a lot of different problems, and he has done it by bringing together the national cabinet. Yes, working across different levels of government has been difficult. The national cabinet has helped to make that as smooth as possible. We all know that, when decisions are very difficult, it can be complicated—there can be a lot of noise and friction. But, at the end of the day, Australians want people to come together. Those opposite keep talking down the vaccine rollout. It is not helping vaccine hesitancy. I'm pleased to hear that young people are now putting their arms forward for AstraZeneca. That's a great thing because AstraZeneca, Pfizer and now Moderna are going to help deliver a vaccine rollout for this country.

See this speech in context