Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Morrison government's failure to roll out the COVID vaccine has just kicked the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury tourism sector in the teeth. Already they've had a week of cancellations from Queensland and Victorian school holiday-makers who planned on a Christmas in July in our wonderful wintry climate, and now they're facing bans from Sydneysiders who aren't allowed to travel outside the metropolitan area. So holiday bookings are expected to plummet.

Why is this happening? Not enough people are vaccinated, so the highly contagious delta strain is spreading fast. And, who's responsible for the vaccination program? Well, let's hear what Gladys Berejiklian had to say. She said, today: 'One thing we don't have any control over is the number of doses we receive and what those doses are. That is the responsibility of the Commonwealth government. And they're just the facts.' Indeed they are, and the Prime Minister should feel personally responsible for what's happening in his home city. Not only do people report to me that they have a long wait to receive the Pfizer vaccine but they also now have to travel further towards a virus hotspot to get their jab. This government could have done a deal with Moderna, it could have said yes to millions of additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine, but they didn't, and their complacency is hurting our local economy. So much for claiming to be good economic managers. They're a disaster.