Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The return of New South Wales students back to school today is yet another significant milestone in our fight against COVID-19 and further proof that the national plan is working. Will the Prime Minister please update the House on how the Morrison government is putting the right plans in place to ensure Australia can recover from the pandemic and have a stronger and more secure future?

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

I'm sure the member for Robertson, like many parents in this place today, is very happy that kids are going back to school in New South Wales today, and that's very welcome. I even noticed that Paul Gallen, the former Cronulla Sharks player, has posted today with his kids, and he's been very happy that the kids are going back to school, as I'm sure all parents are.

All parents are very happy that their kids are going back to school, because this demonstrates that the national plan is working. The national plan is reopening Australia and giving Australians the opportunities to reclaim their lives and claim back so many of the things that have been taken from them through the course of this COVID pandemic, because of COVID-19. And I want to thank all of those parents who have been enduring the challenge of homeschooling over such a long period of time. I want to thank all of those who were so patiently working through with their kids to ensure that they weren't going to miss out on their own education, and I think that has been a tremendous contribution by those parents. I want to thank the teachers as well, for their very detailed attention to the needs of their students and making sure they were doing everything within their power to ensure that their students were getting the best possible education under what have been very, very difficult circumstances.

For those aged 12 to 15, the vaccination rate is 63.8 per cent on first dose, and, on second dose, 34.5 per cent. But, as the member for Robertson will be pleased to know, in New South Wales the double-dose vaccination rate for 12- to 15-year-olds is greater than 50 per cent. Nationally, 86.8 per cent first-dose vaccinations across Australia and some 73.4 per cent of second-dose vaccinations mean there are more than 15 million Australians right now who are double-dose vaccinated all around the country. We are at 73.4 per cent double-dose vaccination. Only a month ago that was 50 per cent—just 50 per cent. The response of the Australian people to the national plan has been truly extraordinary. That has meant Australia will emerge from this pandemic with one of the lowest fatality rates of any country in the world. We will emerge with one of the strongest economies to come through the pandemic anywhere in the world. And we will emerge with one of the highest vaccination rates of any country in the world. That is a national plan to take Australia through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and to take us forward.

As we go forward, the borders are opening. There are 11,000 Qantas staff back at work, getting planes in the air, opening up our country, bringing Australians home and bringing their parents home, from next week and indeed earlier, because of the changes we're making and the borders opening up, ensuring that Australians can be reunited. We go forward with a stronger economy and a stronger health situation. (Time expired)