Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today we have seen the lockdown in Victoria extended by another seven days. Victoria is in lockdown because of this Prime Minister's failure to take responsibility for the two things that were clearly his responsibility: the vaccine rollout and quarantine. This outbreak has come as a result of failures in the hotel quarantine system. It is now eight months ago that Jane Halton handed her review of hotel quarantine to this government. Today she has called on them to get their act together and get this right. Why has it taken eight months? We are seeing people in Victoria in aged care with COVID. After the absolutely devastating crisis last time where we saw so many lives lost in aged care, why is this government not taking this urgently, critically, seriously?

Only half of residents in aged care have been vaccinated despite the Prime Minister's promise they would be vaccinated by the end of March. Today, in question time, we asked the Prime Minister: does he take any responsibility for the lockdown in Victoria? He said that lockdowns are a matter for state governments. Obviously, but what about the factors that have contributed to the need for this lockdown and the need for a shutdown to that economy again? Our economy will never get back on its feet until we are vaccinated, and people's health and their lives are at risk— (Time expired)