Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Tuesday, I had my first AstraZeneca jab at Barwon Health's mass vaccination centre. It was professional and swift, and now it's done. It feels great. But the problem is I am one person among the only 18 per cent of adult Australians who have had their first shot, compared to 61 per cent of adult Americans and 72 per cent of adult Brits. This government is completely stuffing up the vaccine rollout in this country. Last year, they were complacent in their failure to place Australian in the various queues of the vaccine project around the world. They have not embraced mass vaccination centres—it's been nothing like the public campaign that we've seen in the UK—and their messaging has been appalling.

Last week, the health minister may as well have stood up and said to over-50s in this country, 'If you're a bit worried about AstraZeneca, just wait till the end of the year.' That is dangerous. The Indian variant, which is making its way around the world right now, is much more contagious than what we were dealing with last year. You only need to look at Victoria today to see the ever-present danger. The only way we can be protected from that and get to the other side of COVID-19 is by being vaccinated, and quickly. There is a race going on here; it's a race against the virus. If this government has one job this year, it's to vaccinate Australia. Prime Minister, it's time to start doing it. (Time expired)