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

My question is for the Prime Minister, and it follows my question previously where I asked about Professor Kelly and the Prime Minister responded about Lieutenant General Frewen's comments. Is he aware the lieutenant general just said this in response to cash incentives:

We will look at all positive alternatives. There is cash, there is the ideas of lotteries, all these things are being discussed. What is resonating with people right now really is being able to get back to the sort of lifestyle we used to enjoy …

Is, indeed, Lieutenant General Frewen correct?

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

I can assure you that Lieutenant General Frewen is not recommending paying $2.4 billion to people who have already received the vaccine. The incentives that we speak of in the government are those about the liberties people can regain when they have the vaccine. There are the points of presence to ensure that they go and access that vaccine. We have now reached more than 50 per cent of first doses in the ACT and Tasmania.

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

The Leader of the Opposition, on point of order?

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

Yes, Mr Speaker. It goes to relevance. The question went to the quote from Lieutenant General Frewen who said they're looking at 'positive alternatives', including cash and the idea of lotteries. All these things are discussed. Is that correct?

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

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Leader of the House, on the point of order?

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question clearly had in it the premise that it had been discussed. Maybe if the Leader of the Opposition had discussed his policy with a few people over there, we wouldn't be in this problem.

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

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. I'll just say to the Leader of the Opposition the Prime Minister has been relevant in responding to that aspect of the question. I think he did so in the first couple of sentences. I'm listening to him now to ensure he remains relevant.

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

They have been considered, and they have not been recommended for cash payments. I can assure you under the national plan there is certainly no suggestion of the types of incentives that he refers to in phase A of the plan. In the ACT and Tasmania more than 50 per cent have had their first doses, and they didn't need a cash splash to get there. The ACT health minister, their colleague in the Labor Party, said, 'This is probably not the most cost effective way, to do incentives.' That was from one of their own people in the ACT administration. The people of the ACT haven't needed a cash splash from the Leader of the Opposition.

The people of the ACT and Tasmania, where Tasmania leads the leaderboard amongst states of getting people vaccinated in this country, didn't need the vote of no confidence in their ability to get vaccines that the Labor Party leader wants to put out there, because Australians know that, if they get vaccinated, they're less likely to get the virus, they're less likely to pass on the virus, they're less likely to be hospitalised with a serious illness, and they're less likely to die. Australians know that getting vaccinated is in their interests, their family's interests, their community's interests and the national interest. They know that. I have confidence in them. I have confidence in them to turn up, as we're seeing them do at record numbers—over 200,000 again yesterday, and those numbers continue to ramp up. The Leader of the Opposition does not believe that the Australian people will turn out and do what is in their health interests, their family's interests and their community's interests. He has issued a vote of no confidence in the people of Australia, a vote of absolute no confidence. On this side of the House we have great confidence in the Australian people. We have great thanks for the sacrifice that they have gone through. The Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Labor Party, might think that Australians need to get the cash to get vaccinated, but I think a lot more highly of the Australian people than he does.