Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank Senator Davey for her question and her longstanding support for rural and regional New South Wales. We are standing with your communities, especially those in regional New South Wales who have currently been put into lockdown.

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact not only here in Australia but also right across the world. More than four million lives have been lost globally and we are facing the largest global economic shock since the Great Depression. Early and decisive action by our government in conjunction with state governments saved 30,000 lives and millions of jobs. We closed our borders, the Prime Minister established the national cabinet and we invested over $291 billion in direct assistance to individuals and businesses to reduce the impact. We know these measures have had a significant impact on all Australians, mentally, socially and financially, and no one knows that better than those that live in regional and rural areas. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the stop-start, sporadic nature of lockdowns—especially in regional New South Wales, with the Hunter Valley, Tamworth and Armidale just recently being declared Commonwealth hotspots—do take their toll. However, this frustration pales next to the difficulties we'd face if we didn't do everything we could to stop the spread.

Regional Australians are doing the right thing, lining up in droves, pulling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated, with over 3.7 million Australians in rural and regional Australia getting their jabs. That's increasing day on day, each and every day. Our First Nations people are also rolling up their sleeves. As of this morning, more than 160,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, nearly 30 per cent, have received at least one dose. Community pharmacies right across the country have kept their doors open. They are now playing their role in regional communities rolling out the vaccine. Our government has allocated nearly $48 million—