Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I guess in 2021 we shouldn't be surprised that we're starting these final two sitting weeks this year in a challenging environment, as we've experienced for most of the past 20 months or so. We probably shouldn't be overly surprised. But I do think that this week we may be reaching a new level of the bizarre. After listening to question time today, I feel that Senator Wong may need to sit down with her own Senate team and ascertain where they actually are on vaccines. We had Senator O'Neill criticising 'no jab, no play' like the best of the antivaxxers, clearly wanting to open our children to a virus that we're more than capable of vaccinating against. She was followed by Senator McAllister, who was critical that the PM had suggested that people in Brisbane should be able to get a coffee at an 80 per cent vax rate, putting baristas at risk—smacking of demands for mandatory vaccination. And then of course we saw the bill this morning by Senator Hanson, attempting to fundamentally halt government legislation. Seriously? What sort of ejaculation of the pacifier is this?

I would hope that one thing we can all agree on is national security—the importance of keeping our nation safe. But yet, here we are faced with a revolt as we see a bill that will boost our national security. It will secure critical infrastructure to prevent cyberattacks, and this is the first piece of legislation that has come before us today. So I stand here in disappointment that our national security, all of our security, might be jeopardised due to this sort of behaviour.

When we began the COVID journey, national cabinet was established to ensure that the whole country was working in the same direction when it came to living in a post-pandemic world. The national plan was developed, working with expert advice from the Doherty Institute and Commonwealth Treasury. The Morrison government has always been, and continues to be, committed to the national plan and that plan is working where it is upheld. Thresholds were set and jurisdictions could open safely at both the 70 per cent and 80 per cent fully-vaccinated marks.

I appreciate that we've seen some states adhere to the plan and others go a little rogue. If we were looking a little cynically at the behaviour of Senator Hanson's home state Premier, along with WA's, we may think they could be working in cahoots to cause political problems for the Prime Minister in the lead-up to the federal election. This is important for everyone to remember: far too often it's the state premiers, along with unelected health officers, who determine these restrictions. To anyone who looks across the different states, for anyone who assumes that some of these restrictions are based in science, it's ludicrous. There are arbitrary numbers allowed in homes, random distances where people can travel, masks both inside and out—let alone by yourself in a car—and drinking sitting down versus standing up.

What we do know is that, despite what the COVID doomsayers predicted, when New South Wales opened up at its high level of vaccination, the cases have continued to decline. Perhaps more importantly, the numbers of hospitalisations and those requiring ventilators have also dropped consistently. This is important to remember because, despite the voodoo science and the sheep drench pushers, we're seeing vaccinations work. They're effective at ensuring the virus has minimal health impacts. They keep people safe—we see those who are vaccinated, even if they're COVID-positive, not really getting as sick and neither are they passing it on as widely, as their viral load is much lower. So with high vaccination rates combined with sensible public health strategies we're seeing a virus we can learn to live with, not one which is incredibly deadly for many Australians.

I do understand that everyone in the Australian population, across the board, is pretty much over it. They want government out of their lives and they want things to get back to normal. I actually think we would struggle to find too many people who would want us to continue living in the same way that we have been. We all want to see kids back in the classroom and our teenagers and young people experiencing what we did when we were young. We want families to be able to get together and businesses to be able to operate as they best see fit. In fact, as of yesterday, every single state has reached over 80 per cent first dose and all are over 70 per cent fully vaxxed. So it's time for restrictions to be rolled back.

This is something that every premier has agreed to in national cabinet—all of them unanimously agreed to this in national cabinet. The performance art that's being conducted by some state premiers, clinging to relevance, or, even more concerning, those with hospital systems already overwhelmed without a COVID case at all, is now working actively against the plan they agreed to. But we also need to remember that at no point has the Morrison government mandated vaccines. We've always said that it's up to the individual. And whilst we've never hidden our desire to see as many Australians as possible get vaccinated we've never demanded that they be vaccinated compulsorily across the board.

There are of course exceptions—those in certain aged-care and health settings—but this also is not anything new. This is something that has occurred previously around the flu vaccine. We want to protect, and we want to continue to protect, those vulnerable communities and to keep them and those who work with them safe. I think Senator Lambie put it together perfectly this morning: mandatory flu vaccines have been around since COVID was nothing but a sparkle in a bat's eye!

The ability to mandate is driven by states and whilst some states, such as my home state of New South Wales, have set a date for those who have decided against the vaccine to open up again, it's still only around four to five per cent of people over 16. That's a very small number of people who will not have received a first or second dose of vaccine. So, once we get there—to 15 December for us in New South Wales—we will be free to do as we wish. On top of that, those who have decided to remain unvaccinated will be able to access a health system funded by all taxpayers, should they require hospitalisation or a ventilator.

We need to learn to live with COVID. It should be something similar to living with the flu. And it's the vaccines that can allow this to occur. At that point, at 95 per cent fully vaccinated, I think we should also see the end of QR codes and mask mandates. We need to return to a pre-COVID life. Freedoms should be returned without any restrictions. But many of these restrictions are being put in place under state health orders. I note that some of the people who supported the bill this morning are also some of the strongest advocates in this place for states' rights and keen to show respect for the Constitution. Yet, seemingly, some are happy for states to overrule, override and, quite frankly, overreach. So it's important to remember, for those in WA and Queensland in particular: elections have consequences. The overwhelming support given to the premiers in those two states at recent elections has emboldened them to maintain unacceptable levels of restrictions that are not based on science, effective health advice or even common sense. But the rest of the country should not be put at risk by this unacceptable behaviour and these threats because a small percentage of the population can't get a coffee.

As we've all come to know far too well, under the Australian Constitution, states and territories have a large degree of autonomy to conduct their own affairs, including the ability to implement public orders. There has been significant overreach by premiers, and I'm not denying that at all. I think the restriction of movement throughout this country has been extended beyond belief. I think it's a little crazy, in fact, that we're all sitting here in split seats with a mask mandate in Canberra—the most highly vaccinated jurisdiction in the country; in fact, almost in the world.

I think businesses should have the right to refuse entry or service to those who decide to remain unvaccinated—not to those who have legitimate medical grounds, but to those who oppose the vaccine as they don't support vaccines. I have zero tolerance for antivaxxers and I've been dealing with them, and a lot of those people, for a lot longer than many others in this place. There's nothing like being the mother of a son newly diagnosed with autism and being told that I caused it—that I gave it to him, because I'd had him vaccinated. It's wrong, deceitful and incredibly upsetting. But these people have permeated autism groups for years, written articles and diverted more money away from autism research than anyone else. We can also debunk, time and again, the work of a struck-off and disgraced physician. I've spoken up against these people since coming to this place and have received the most vile abuse, including threats to me and my family. These people are abhorrent. Their views are ridiculous and no weight should be given to them at all.

We have such a high voluntary rate of vaccination that we should maintain the national plan to reopen. Restrictions should be eased. We should have no mask mandates and no QR codes. We should have unrestricted, quarantine-free travel across our country, and businesses should be able to operate in the way that they feel they are best able to. Like so many other Australians, I want to see the end of COVID. I want to be able to visit friends I grew up with in Adelaide and Perth, I want my son to see his godmother in Queensland and I want my daughter to see her godparents in Adelaide. We need to let the national plan continue to roll out. (Time expired)