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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Why did the Prime Minister repeatedly tell Australians that getting vaccinated is 'not a race'?

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

Why does the Leader of the Opposition continually misrepresent what I have said and the context in which it was said? Throughout this pandemic we have been guided and supported by outstanding medical professionals, whether they be Professor Murphy, Professor Kelly or, indeed, Professor McVernon—who Australians heard from today—from the Doherty Institute, whether it's those who run the Therapeutic Goods Administration or those who run the other expert medical advisory bodies. What we did in this country was not rush the approvals of important vaccines for this country and not put the health of Australians at risk.

The Leader of the Opposition would have had us rush the approvals of vaccines that were to be used by Australians. That is what Professor Murphy and I were referring to.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

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

The Leader of the Opposition! The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order?

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

Yes, on relevance. The quotes I'm referring to from 31 March, 14 March, the 11 March Today show, the 11 March Sunriseshow, the 11 March doorstop at Sydney Airport, doorstops in Castle Hill and doorstops in Adelaide were all after the TGA approval. The question goes to not the TGA approval but the rollout of the vaccine.

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

The Leader of the Opposition has made his point.

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

I repeat what I said, because this is what Professor Murphy and I—this was the context. We have ensured that throughout this we have, of course, listened. But those opposite—I remember the Leader of the Opposition doing it back in January and making criticisms of the government as well as we were working through the careful medical process.

What we have done as a government is ensure that the vaccines that are available for Australians are as safe as they possibly can be. I notice that the member for Maribyrnong has understood that, because he's been down to the CSL factory to thank the workers that have been putting the AstraZeneca vaccine in place. He could give the address to the Leader of the Opposition, if he wants to go and support the vaccination program—

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

No; the Prime Minister is drifting off the subject of the question.

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

My point is this: all the way through, the government has sought to get safe vaccines to the Australian people with a great sense of urgency, and to ensure that it's done in a careful, scientific way that is supported by the health advice provided to this government. If the Leader of the Opposition would spend a bit more time promoting the vaccination program rather than promoting himself—

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

No; this is not an opportunity to launch a wide political attack. It was a very specific question. The Leader of the Opposition is seeking to—

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

I haven't finished.

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

I thought you had! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call, and needs to be relevant to the question.

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

Today we released the Doherty institute modelling, the finest expert scientific modelling on the medical epidemiology of this pandemic. Virtually nowhere else in the world, Mr Speaker, will you find a country that has in the same way diligently looked to set the vaccination targets which are essential to the successful rollout of this program and knowing where—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. I can't hear the Manager of Opposite Business on a point of order on relevance.

An honourable member interjecting—

No, because there has already been one asked during this question. The Leader of the Opposition asked a question. If the Manager of Opposition Business would just resume his seat for a second. The question didn't have a preamble and it was very specific. Whilst I appreciate that the Prime Minister wants to talk about the earlier news conference today and other aspects of the vaccine rollout, he was asked very specifically about a quote that has been used a number of times. Certainly the Prime Minister was very relevant in how he addressed that. I did have those on my left interjecting that he wasn't, but he certainly was in terms of how he was answering the question at the start. The Leader of the Opposition raised his point of order. The Prime Minister has been relevant, but now is not an opportunity to talk about the rest of the vaccine program or any developments that happened today. The Prime Minister.

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

I'm simply seeking to make the point that throughout this entire pandemic the government has been guided by the expert medical advice of the best expert minds in the world, whether it's Professor Murphy, at that time in March, where— (Time expired)

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

The Leader of the Opposition?

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

I seek leave to table statements from the Prime Minister on 11 March at a doorstop at Sydney airport, 11 March on Sunrise, 11 March on the Today show, 14 March at a doorstop in Castle Hill and 31 March at a doorstop in Adelaide where he continued to say: 'It's not a race. It's not a competition.'

Leave not granted.