Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I completely reject Senator Pratt's assertion and its implications. It is completely false. Indeed, it is an attempt to beat these statements up—statements that were in no way suggesting that any particular part of Australia was as Senator Pratt has suggested. This was an analogy drawn about the very important pathway out of the challenging situation Australia and, indeed, the world faces. Our plan is one focused very much on driving vaccination across Australia to support Australians, as we hit the 70 per cent and 80 per cent targets informed by the experts at the Doherty institute, to be able to move beyond widespread statewide lockdowns and restrictions—to be able to move beyond the restrictions that prohibit individuals from being able to reunite with families and loved ones or pursue business opportunities across state borders. We want to see success for Australia. As we have succeeded, relative to so many other nations, in saving lives, we want to see success on the way out of this as well. Of course, what we have from the Labor Party is no plan—no plan, no pathway. All we have are these cheap political points that we're getting, whilst the rest of the country is getting on with striving towards the plan.

Senator Watt interjecting—