Ben Small (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Just as Australians are again confident that the future is bright and our best days in fact lie ahead, just as confidence returns to the Australian economy and just as we get assurance that, with the delivery of the vaccine, we will move to a post-COVID world, those opposite seek to undermine confidence in both the vaccine rollout and the strength of the Australian economic comeback which is so clearly on. In December, consumption was up 4.3 per cent and business investment was up 2.6 per cent, its strongest result since 2017. Dwelling investment, driven by the government's successful HomeBuilder package, is up 4.1 per cent, its strongest quarterly increase since 2015. We're not done yet. Also in the December quarter, direct economic support from the federal government was halved. That is half the amount of borrowed taxpayer money being injected into the economy, and yet at the same time the economy grew by 3.1 per cent, the second such quarter where we achieved economic growth of more than three per cent in a quarter since 1959. It's the first time since 1959 we have achieved two such quarters at that level of growth, and 2.1 million Australians graduated off the JobKeeper program. That's because this government stands for Australian business and a prosperous economy, allowing Australians to go about their business and do what they do best.

Those opposite seek to undermine both the economic comeback and confidence in our vaccine rollout at such a critical time. Spare me the feigned indignation from over there. The JobKeeper program was always, as with everything that the government has done to stimulate the economy and shepherd it through the global pandemic, targeted and time limited. It was never intended to be permanent. Initially, the JobKeeper program was only planned for six months. Indeed, as we've heard today, the opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, said there would always need to be a taper. But, instead, this government extended it for 12 months and, at a cost of $90 billion, it's the single largest economic support program of any government since this nation was federated. There are 2.7 million Australians who have already had their jobs protected by the JobKeeper program, but then they graduated from that program and made their way in the world unabated. That is what this government's track record says. There were 100,000 new apprentices in the first five months of our successful JobMaker hiring credit. But we aren't done yet. As we've heard Minister Cash and the Prime Minister announce in recent days, we have expanded that program. This government is about jobs, lives and livelihoods. We have been unashamed about that.

With respect to the vaccine rollout, I'm pleased to advise the Senate that now more than 203,000 vaccines have been administered. That is a 10 per cent increase on the number of vaccinations delivered in Australia since yesterday. It's a more than 10 per cent increase in the last 24 hours. Five hundred and nine aged-care facilities and more than 45,000 of our most vulnerable Australians in aged care have received those vaccinations. That's despite the fact that we have only received 700,000 of our contracted 3.8 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses. Why? Because this government was the government that made the decision in August last year to ensure we had sovereign vaccine manufacturing capability so that, while there are countries that still find themselves in the depths of this crisis, like the UK, US and countries in Europe, where tens of thousands of people are dying every day, Australia finds itself with the capability to manufacture a vaccine right here in our own backyard.

The rollout continues as we said it would. This government was clear that in February we would commence phase 1a. When did we do that? On 22 February. The AstraZeneca program was always scheduled to commence in March and—lo and behold!—we find ourselves about to commence phase 1b with the AstraZeneca vaccine four weeks after the commencement of 1a. Already more than a thousand general practices across this nation are ready to administer that vaccine. We're increasing the capability of the vaccine program by another 4,000 general practices over coming weeks. Rural and regional Australians have been considered, with the phases not applying in those isolated communities such that travel is not a problem. This government is about lives and livelihoods.