Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to commend the ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, for launching their Vax Facts campaign a few days ago. A campaign like this is sorely needed. Right now, we have low vaccination rates—Australia is way behind—and we have other news outlets, such as Sky News, continuing to make it all that much harder to get those vaccination rates up. Today, as I stand here commending the good work of the ABC, we have members of the parliament introducing anti-vax laws. Mr Craig Kelly has introduced a bill which is dangerous and which will undermine the good work of many of Australia's health professionals and Public Service personnel across the country. That bill was seconded by George Christensen MP, a member of the Prime Minister's own team. So, on one hand, we have the public broadcaster, the ABC, having to spend their own money and resources to run a public education campaign because they are concerned about the health and the wellbeing of the Australian community—the broadcaster is going above and beyond their duty, in the face of members of this government—and, on the other hand, Mr Morrison's own members are doing everything they can to make it harder for vaccination rates to increase and ensure that the Australian people are well educated about the myths and misinformation. Thank goodness we have the ABC to do this work, because we know the Murdoch press, Sky News and Mr Morrison's own team, including Craig Kelly, are doing everything they can— (Time expired)