Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and all the work she's been doing in her electorate to ensure her constituents are safe. Indeed, saving lives and saving livelihoods has been the hallmark of the Morrison government for the last 18 months. But it's Australians who have been doing the heavy lifting—abiding by restrictions, getting vaccinated and practising physical distancing and good hygiene. We should all be so thankful for what our citizens have been doing.

In New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT we've now got road maps out of lockdown, so the Morrison government is now moving to the next phase of the national plan. It's also great to see Premier Palaszczuk coming out before question time to give confidence to small business about sticking to the national plan. The Morrison government is now leading the reopening of Australia and Australians to the world. We have delivered a simple and very secure proof of vaccination that has now been integrated into state and territory contact-tracing applications. It's very easy for an individual, where required under state or territory health orders, to confirm their vaccination status, and it's very easy for businesses to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. These simple and secure proofs of vaccinations are very much underpinning New South Wales and Victoria opening up, and it has been a pleasure for the Commonwealth and all those states and territories to work cooperatively together.

As of 17 October there have been over 19 million downloads of digital proofs of vaccinations in New South Wales, and over 3.8 million of those proofs have been dropped into digital wallets. In the first week of Victoria integrating it, over a million Victorians have linked their vaccination certificates with their new Service Victoria app. Whether you're going to the cafe in Coogee, down to the pub in Penrith or to Toohey's—that great brewery in your electorate—Australians will be using technology built by the Morrison government.

We continue our progress with the national plan, today announcing that from tomorrow Australians will be able to, if vaccinated, download an international proof of vaccination via myGov. With international travel starting again—with New South Wales leading the race—as per the national plan from 1 November, this international proof of vaccination will enable fully vaccinated Australians to depart, return and travel internationally. It's simple, easy and built with the same security as your passport. It can be downloaded digitally—and this is an example of an internationally recognised copy with a standard set by ICAO—or it can be dropped digitally into your mobile phone. The launch of the proof of vaccination is a key step in safely reopening international borders, getting more Australians home and allowing Australians to visit loved ones overseas. The Morrison government is continuing to support Australians through the pandemic and continuing to follow the national plan.

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