Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In rising to take note of answers provided by Minister Cash in question time today, there's one point that I want to start with. It's a point that I have made a number of times in this place, in contributing to debates such as this in this chamber, and that is that there is not a single nation in the world, and not a single government, that I think would claim to have made all the right decisions when dealing with this pandemic and to have dealt with the situation absolutely superbly and perfectly. But what is important is that we learn about what works with this virus and what doesn't and that we adapt and move forward to counter the challenges that it poses to us. And we have learned, we are adapting and we are moving forward.

What doesn't do us any good during a pandemic, though, is partisan politicking, and, quite frankly, that is what we have seen here from the Labor Party today. They have not listened to the responses provided by ministers in this place. I've been here two years now and I've got used to that. They are not listening to what is being told to them in question time. They are manipulating the words of Senator Cash and turning them into something that, quite frankly, they were not. But should I be surprised? We tend to get that from them every day.

This pandemic is fast-moving and constantly evolving, and, like I said, no government has got it exactly right—or claims to have got it exactly right. It makes you ask: why is it that all Labor has to offer at this point is to go back in time to 12 months ago or 18 months ago, instead of working to ensure that everyone is on the same page and everyone is working to the national plan that was agreed by all states and territories at the national cabinet?

The coalition government is continuing with the critical work to get Australians vaccinated, keep us safe, get us back into work, keep the economy turning over, end the lockdowns and ensure that people can cross borders unrestricted. Millions of Australians are struggling with community lockdowns and border closures that prevent them from seeing their friends and their families, and it is just heartbreaking. I hear, each and every day, from people—whether they're in my home state of Tasmania or across the country—who are frustrated with the lockdowns. They are frustrated with the restrictions. They want to be able to see their family and their friends face to face, and, sadly, that is not possible at the moment. But that is why we have the national plan to get vaccination rates to 70 or 80 per cent. That will allow us to open up safely, get our kids back into school, get Australians back to work, get our economy moving again and give people the opportunity to reunite with their loved ones, who they haven't been able to see for so long.

The national plan shifts the focus from continued suppression of community transmission to post-vaccination settings focused on preventing serious illness and fatalities, where the public health management of COVID-19 becomes consistent with that of other infectious diseases. I think I said this close to 18 months ago in this place: we need to learn to live with the virus. We absolutely need to learn to live with the virus, and vaccinating Australians is a really key part of learning to live with the virus. Once we have Australians vaccinated, we will be able to get back to living our lives in a manner closer to what we all remember as being normal. Currently, over 19 million doses have been administered across the country, and, if we continue on the rates that we've been on, we should hit the 20 million mark by the end of the week. That is incredibly exciting. I'm also advised that 60 per cent of eligible Tasmanians are now protected with at least one dose, while more than 42 per cent are fully vaccinated. That is fantastic news for my home state of Tasmania and certainly a testament to the hard work of the state Liberal government, led by Peter Gutwein and supported by the Morrison Liberal team, in ensuring that we are rolling out the vaccination program locally.

Importantly, the government continues to make new arrangements and deals to secure additional doses for the nation so that we can continue with this rollout to ensure that we can get back to normal. Make no mistake: we as a government are doing everything in our power to expedite the vaccination program and progress the national plan so we can reach a point where extended lockdowns and border restrictions are a thing of the past.