Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Colbeck. On 7 September Mr Morrison promised that 'Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine'. With 60 countries having commenced vaccinations and more than 100 million doses of the vaccine already given, how can the Morrison government claim it has delivered on this promise?

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

What this government is doing is what we said we would do, which is to manage an orderly rollout of vaccine and manage the rollout of a fully approved vaccine, starting very soon with the arrival of the Pfizer product after the TGA approved that vaccine. And we will continue to manage that orderly rollout.

I have to say, it's really disappointing that the Labor Party continues with their completely reckless commentary with respect to the vaccine. We have at all times managed an orderly process through accessing an appropriate number of vaccine candidates, going through an appropriate and full approval process to ensure that Australians can have confidence in the vaccines that we are looking to provide to Australians. The confidence that Australians have in the vaccines that we have available is going to be absolutely crucial to the take-up of vaccines across the country and to the protection of Australians, particularly those who are most vulnerable. So we will continue our orderly and structured process for the provision, approval and application of vaccines that we have started. We have continued to be honest with the Australian people with respect to the rollout and the availability of vaccines, and we've brought them on responsibly, not like the Labor Party, who've continued with this reckless commentary, which will only undermine confidence in the vaccination process. (Time expired)

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a supplementary. On 5 November Mr Morrison declared that Australians would be 'at the front of the queue'. Can the minister confirm approximately 60 countries are in front of Australia? Which queue was Mr Morrison referring to?

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

I will repeat what I've just said with respect to the rollout of the vaccine. We will continue to roll out the vaccine in a responsible manner with a fully approved process. The TGA has undergone a comprehensive—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Colbeck! Senator Wong, on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is direct relevance. The minister was asked a very short question which included the Prime Minister's assertion to the country that Australians were at the front of the queue. We would invite the minister to respond to the question, which is: which queue was the Prime Minister referring to?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was listening carefully to the minister's answer. I can't instruct the minister on either the part of the question or the terms in which he answers. However, it was a relatively narrow question. I'm going to consider the minister to be directly relevant if he strictly confines his comments to the distributional rollout, for lack of a better term, of the vaccine, but I am listening carefully to his answer. Senator Colbeck.

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

We will continue to roll the vaccine out in accordance with approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which is the responsible thing for us to do. It's been properly certified and approved by the TGA, which is exactly what we're doing. We are one of the first countries in the world to be able to provide a fully approved vaccination process for Australians and we will continue to do that, because one of the most important things is that Australians have confidence in the vaccine we are offering to them and that take-up of the vaccine— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher, a final supplementary question?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the UK, the US, Canada and the EU, the time between approval and the first doses being administered was between three and six days. The TGA approved the Pfizer vaccine eight days ago. How many more days will Australians have to wait?

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

The Pfizer vaccine is being provided to Australia in accordance with the contractual arrangements that we signed with Pfizer for the take-up of the vaccine. Under those arrangements, shipment of the vaccine was conditional on our approval of the vaccine, so we are receiving the vaccine in accordance with the contractual arrangements that were made with the manufacturers of the vaccine. When the vaccine arrives, it will be batch tested to ensure that it meets the requirements that it's specified to have and then it will be made available to Australians.

I am not going to descend into the irresponsible and reckless commentary that the Labor Party are trying to engage in, because confidence in this vaccine is absolutely vital.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Colbeck! I have Senator Wong on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is direct relevance. If he's worried about confidence in the vaccine, I assume he's going to publicly reject Mr Kelly's arguments.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's not a point of order, Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is direct relevance. The question was about the delay between approval and administration.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, I have ruled before that, when there are strictly drafted questions—and I do consider this one to be one without pejorative phrases—political observations on the opposition are not directly relevant. Senator Colbeck, you only have two seconds remaining. I'll ask you to continue.

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

As I said, the vaccine is being provided strictly in terms of the— (Time expired)