Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This morning I speak not only as the proud member of the electorate of Oxley but also as a proud Queenslander. It's been phenomenal to see how, over the last six months, the world has truly rallied together to fight what has been a pandemic like no other. As a proud University of Queensland graduate, I thank the member for Ryan for the work that he has done in highlighting the work of the University of Queensland, in particular.

As a neighbour of the member for Ryan's electorate, I wanted to go on the record today to thank our doctors, research scientists and specialists, who have been working tirelessly and around the clock to create a COVID-19 vaccine. I acknowledge the federal government and the Queensland government for their investment into research and creation of the vaccine. This is a vaccine that opens our doors back up to the world. It opens up Australia for business. It's the vaccine that we need. It has the potential to bring families back together, open up international travel and further Australia's investment and mark on the international stage.

The University of Queensland is the only Australian organisation tasked by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The funding announced is important for CEPI's ongoing financial support. The world, I believe, one day may thank the UQ vaccination team, including Professor Paul Young, Associate Professor Keith Chappell, Professor Trent Munro and Dr Daniel Watterson for developing the vaccine that stops the killer COVID-19 in its tracks. All eyes are on these brilliant scientists, who are standing front and centre in the war. But thank you also goes to the 105 leaders who have emerged out of the darkness of 2020 offering a bright, unified spirit of togetherness. When interviewed, the scientists shared that they felt the arms of Queenslanders and other heroes across Australia's holding them high and spurring them on. Professor Young said:

The generosity and commitment I've witnessed has been nothing short of amazing. And this enormous group of contributors is still not everyone who's been involved. I'd like to thank absolutely everybody who was part of this broader team in the ongoing journey.

Together they have been working day and night on all fronts, and they have had teams of people and members completing lab work, managing trials, addressing legal and regulatory requirements and, of course, raising the funds to supercharge vaccine production.

But, of course, we need to make sure that, when a vaccine does become available, it becomes available to as many Australians as quickly as possible. That's the objective here. Vaccines don't solve this issue and stop the virus; the actual vaccinations do. That's why we need to make sure that we maximise the number of people who have access to those vaccinations. Alarms bells have gone off for me when I've seen the anti-vaxxers out and about already trying to position themselves—those kooks and people who misspeak—and constantly warning people against vital vaccinations. My message to my community and to the rest of Australia is: trust the science, trust the evidence and trust the leaders in what they are doing to help protect our country. Strategic tactical planning as part of a comprehensive industry policy will help Australia anticipate and be better prepared for such a global challenges and changes ahead.

I want to acknowledge not just the lead scientists but all of the wonderful support staff and scientific community that have been rallying and supporting the work of the scientists. It's important to be realistic. The Australian people know that they need transparency when it comes to a vaccine strategy that puts safety and health first. While hope needs to be lifted in difficult times, it is important we make statements and projections as realistic as possible so families and communities are not set up for disappointment. The aim here, wherever they are around the world, is to protect as many Australians as possible.

I want to thank the Queensland government, particularly Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for her tough stance on borders and on protecting Queenslanders. We know in our state that the Queensland government led the way when it came to health and safety. The Queensland election was a flash-point in how Queenslanders saw the performance of our state government and they resoundly returned the Queensland Premier because of her deep commitment to the protection, health and wellbeing of my fellow Queenslanders. I want to thank all members of the government and, in particular, my friend, the Premier of Queensland, who has worked tirelessly this year to protect Queenslanders safe and to do the best for our country. (Time expired)

See this speech in context