James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government is implementing its plan to transition Australia from the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger and more secure nation?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Sturt for his question. I thank him for his commitment in his electorate and all the members of this place who are out there each and every day supporting their communities and encouraging them to go along and be part of the national vaccination program so that we can hit the targets that are so important for Australia to live with this virus in the future.

Local members are working with their local communities, promoting the opportunities to get the vaccine—whether it's AstraZeneca or Pfizer. They ensure that they're connecting with those thousands upon thousands of points of presence which have seen our vaccination program having turned the corner: 200,558 doses in just the past 24 hours—12.6 million doses. Almost 80 per cent of over seventies have now had that first dose and almost two-thirds of those over 50 have had that first dose. One in five Australians now are double-dose vaccinated and two in five have had that single dose, ensuring that we move towards the vaccination rates that are important.

I want to thank the premiers and the chief ministers, working with the federal government to ensure our shared objectives as a country, which we share with the Australian people, to save lives and to save livelihoods. We know that had we suffered the terrible fatalities of countries around the world—like Australia, advanced economies with sophisticated health systems—more than 30,000 Australians would have perished. The fact that that did not happen in this country is because of the collective effort of millions and millions of Australians working together with the federal government and our counterpart governments in the states and territories.

But it's not just that: a million Australians are getting back into work after last year's COVID-19 recession. Indeed, these lockdowns—which are the necessary response to the latest delta variant, as the Doherty modelling has shown—and this response will also be overcome because this government is standing behind Australians and beside Australians, ensuring that they can get through. Over $1.2 billion is supporting Australians through these lockdowns so that they can get to the other side and so that we can ensure that as we come out of this phase and these lockdowns, as we have seen before, the Australian economy will come back strongly. Australians will get back into those jobs.

As we move to the end of this year we will have a country that has not only been able to save lives—more so than almost any other country in the world today—and have an economic record of coming through this pandemic but we will also be ensuring that everyone who is seeking to get that vaccine will have that opportunity. We'll be moving through that four-phase plan to ensure that Australians can live with the virus in a way that few in the world can.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the government roll up its sleeve in the race to vaccinate the nation and adopt Labor's proposal for a one-off $300 payment to every fully vaccinated Australian?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will respond by making reference to Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases expert, who has said this about the Leader of the Opposition's plan: 'This is a bad idea'.

This is a bad idea. He's joined by so many, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, which said:

Financial incentives are likely to discourage vaccination (particularly among those most concerned about adverse effects); instead, contingent nonfinancial incentives are the desired approach.

Unlike the opposition leader, I have confidence in the Australian people. The Leader of the Opposition's proposal is a vote of no confidence and an insult to Australians, suggesting they won't get vaccinated unless you dole out the cash!

That is an insult. That is an insult to every Australian. Those 80 per cent of older Australians who've turned up and rolled up their sleeves—they didn't need the cash. They just needed to know that it was good for them, it was good for their family, it was good for their community and it was good for their country. We know that, under Labor, you and your money are easily parted. That is the fiscal record of the Labor Party. We know that this plan is a bubble without a thought, which is what we have become used to from this Leader of the Opposition—bubbles without thoughts. He hasn't bothered to speak to General Frewen or to seek a meeting with General Frewen. He cancelled his meeting even yesterday.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition, on indulgence. He did use an unparliamentary term.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister knows full well there's a scheduled meeting with General Frewen on Thursday, which is the first time it's been proffered.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition just needs to withdraw the remark and resume his seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw the unparliamentary term.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has the call.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the Leader of the Opposition had bothered to inform himself of the significant work that had been done on these issues regarding incentives then he would not have rushed headlong into this proposal, which says Australians need to be paid cash to turn up and protect themselves, their communities and their families. I know what Australians have done over these past 18 months. I know the sacrifices they have made. They haven't done it to get the cash; they've done it because they know what has been necessary to get them, their communities and their families through. Over these years in opposition, this Labor Party have learnt absolutely nothing. The cash splashes of their last untargeted, ill-disciplined fiscal recklessness are writ large again in this Leader of the Opposition. Under Labor, you and your money will be easily parted with the undisciplined, untargeted, ill-informed spending of the Labor Party— (Time expired)