Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday in this House the Prime Minister admitted it was not possible to have domestic manufacturing of mRNA vaccines for years. So why did the former industry minister say in October last year it was achievable this year?

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

The simple answer to that is: that's not at all what the former industry minister said, and that's why you won't quote directly. The former industry minister was talking about capability, and if you have a look at capability, for instance, at the University of Monash, they have created an mRNA prototype. The capability in the science to create these things, these remarkable vaccines, exists, and that was acknowledged by the former industry minister; it's acknowledged by this government. The complexity of the project if we are to domestically invent, if you like, the vaccine and to create the IP and the tech that would otherwise need to be transferred here—that needs to go through three clinical phases of trials and then has to be married to a commercial manufacturing facility domestically that has to have the scalable productive capacity to go from zero to 25 million doses. That's a matter of significant complexity.

In fact, it was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald not that long ago that some other countries in the region had, in the words of that article, signed major global partners for local mRNA facilities, and they mentioned Singapore and South Korea. To give the member who asked the question some idea of the complexity of this, in Singapore, the German company Beyontec announced in May that it would seek to establish a manufacturing facility in Singapore. That is looking to commence the sorts of operations that we're talking about here in 2023, and that is similar to the type of advice that we are getting as to what is doable and achievable. Where that article mentions South Korea, what needs to be noted is that the deal, it appears, in South Korea is with Moderna and merely for fill and finish, not for the full manufacture from the lab through to millions of doses. So this is a matter of some complication.

I'd respectfully say to the member that the reason why we, unlike the Leader of the Opposition, have pinned things like Australia's international reopening to the domestic manufacturer of mRNA is there are simply too many uncertainties on the timeline to do that.

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

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

Well, it's precisely what you've done. Journalists: 'What's your plan to reopen Australia to the rest of the world?' The Leader of the Opposition: 'I have a four-point plan, and it's a four-point plan that I've been advocating now for all of this year and from the end of last year. No. 4 is to manufacture mRNA.'

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

The minister for industry is now seeking to answer a question he wasn't asked, and he needs to stick to the—

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

There are unfortunately uncertainties in this, but they're uncertainties we're working through on a timeline based on all of the expert advice that is available to us. Now, it may be the case that Labor will treat this in a policy fashion, as they've treated other matters recently, and that would be a grave error.

Ms Butler interjecting—

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

The member for Griffith is warned. The Manager of Opposition Business has the call, seeking to table a document.

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

I'm seeking to table the transcript of the interview with the previous minister where, in answer to a question as to how long it would take to get the production line up and running, the previous minister said nine months to 12 months.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business just needs to seek leave.

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

That's what I'm seeking leave for—the nine to 12 month time frame for getting the production line up and running.

Leave not granted.