Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The irresponsibility that we are currently seeing from the Labor Party is just the latest example of their politicisation of the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw it when they couldn't get any traction when they were being supportive of the fantastic efforts made by the Morrison government to keep Australia as one of the safest countries in the world, with the most minimal of economic impacts felt. We have weathered this storm better than most other countries. But when that bipartisan support wasn't quite working out anymore, we've seen overt politicisation in every single way they could possibly come up with. This is just another example of that. So rather than working to support everyday Australians and demonstrating some restraint, they're continuing to draw focus away from the health advice that this government looks to. The Morrison government is focused on a safe and effective vaccine rollout—and, just to confirm, it will be a free and voluntary vaccine rollout. But I do welcome today that the Prime Minister has spoken to Mr Kelly, and I look forward to everyone in this place getting behind the vaccine rollout in a positive way so that Australians will have confidence in the vaccine solution.

I have a particular interest in this debate. As most of you know, I have an absolutely gorgeous son who has autism. His autism was caused in utero, genetically, not because of any actions of the parents, and certainly not because of vaccines. So much time, effort and money have been wasted on autism because of a fraudulent belief in the work of a discredited doctor, Andrew Wakefield. He is a fraud who has been struck off and who has absolutely destroyed many parents' confidence in a vaccine for their children under the belief that somehow autism is a fate worse than death—even if it were true, which we know it is not.

The tinfoil hat brigade who love to grasp to vaccines causing autism—and I can assure you they don't; none of them do—are continuing to cling to some form of conspiracy theory. We remember that it was 5G that caused COVID. It was probably a few other things that I've forgotten—it's been quite the year—but the 5G stands out particularly. We remember that Bill Gates was looking to microchip us all. I can tell you that when you've got a kid with autism who runs away, the microchip is not a bad idea at times—but I digress. The conspiracy theorists who are continually trying to undermine COVID efforts by saying that the virus isn't real, that it is some form of conspiracy, are fundamentally buying into the anti-vaccine message.

We need to work not as a government, purely and solely, but as a parliament, as leaders of this country, to ensure that all Australians have confidence in the vaccine so that they will go out—even though it is free and voluntary—and receive the vaccine as soon as they are eligible. The health minister, along with the Prime Minister, has worked incredibly hard to ensure that Australians will be protected by enough vaccines; that the TGA approval has been done to give Australians confidence in the safety and the security of the vaccines; and that the rollout of them occurs in a way that adheres to the best possible health and medical advice.

So fearmongering about vaccines, whoever it's by, is wrong, but giving it additional airtime is worse. These notions, which we all know are incorrect, should be ignored. Highlighting them to Australians is undermining confidence, which is the last thing we should be doing. The rollout is the only way we will get our lives back to normal, start to see travel and the country open up, see international borders open up, and start to reduce the kneejerk overreactions of premiers desperate to lock their states down just before each election that they face. We need to ensure that Australians have confidence and feel safe and secure to receive the vaccine and be part of the program, to allow all Australians to return to the life they had pre 2020.