Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his supplementary question. On both the health and economic fronts Australia has fared better than most countries in dealing with COVID-19. More than 92 per cent of the eligible population over 16 are now protected against COVID-19 with a first dose and more than 86 per cent with a second dose. Of the 38 developed OECD countries, Australia has the second-lowest number of COVID cases per capita. The UK and the US have more than 40 times the number of COVID deaths compared with Australia. For example, over 12 per cent of people in the United States and 11 per cent of people in the United Kingdom have had COVID. By contrast, 0.4 per cent of Australians have had COVID. It's estimated that our program of support for Australians has saved more than 30,000 lives, an important number— (Time expired)