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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to this statement from the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, in May this year. I quote him:

I think we really do need to look for incentives, as many incentives as we can, for people to become vaccinated.

Was the Chief Medical Officer correct?

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

I am very familiar with the views of the Chief Medical Officer, because I meet with him regularly—I meet with him very regularly. I understand the Leader of the Opposition has had one meeting that he sought already this year—one meeting with those running the health advice in this country. So I'm pleased to fill him in on the views of the Chief Medical Officer. What the Chief Medical Officer has said and what General Frewen has made very clear—

Mr Albanese interjecting—

He says 'General Frewen' as if there's some sort of mocking title to that.

Opposition members interjecting—

Well, if you want to interject with it!

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's one thing when people attempt to put words in someone else's mouth in this place, but when they do it with respect to an esteemed member of the Defence Force, it should be beneath this parliament. It should be beneath this parliament. If nothing's beneath you, then that's on you.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Let me just address this matter very clearly. If any member is concerned that their interjection might, in their view, be misrepresented, it's best not to make the interjection in the first place. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

The advice that has come forward, whether from the Chief Medical Officer or General Frewen, is that cash payments for jabs—a cash splash for jabs—is not their advice. It's not their advice. It's not the advice given to us that we should spend $6 billion splashing cash to those who've already received the vaccine. At least at this point, they would be paying out over $2 billion to people who have already had the vaccine. This policy, although being friendless from those who are expert in this area, including from those advising the government, now pretends to be able to time travel—that you can make a payment to someone now and that would somehow have influenced their decision three months ago.

This is a policy that has put forward by the Leader of the Opposition which is ill considered, ill informed and ill disciplined. This is a policy that he has not sought to consult on and he has not sought to take proper advice on. He hasn't even had the opportunity to actually sit down with those responsible for delivering the national vaccine plan and be informed of that before he's gone off with this idea. I note that those opposite, to quote them, refer to this as 'Anthony's idea'. That's how they refer to it; I'm only quoting them.

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

No, I don't care. The Prime Minister will pause. It doesn't matter what you're quoting; you need to refer to members by their correct titles. Otherwise you will find it bouncing back on you pretty quickly.

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

It's the member for Grayndler's idea, Mr Speaker. They are all crab-walking away from this one pretty quickly, because he himself, as Phil Coorey has noted today, accepts pretty much that any cent that is going to be spent here—splashing cash just like they did when they were last in government—is not going to move the dial, because 75 per cent of Australians, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, say they want to go and get it. (Time expired)