Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowper for his question. From the earth to the moon. Members opposite are probably wondering what announcement I'm about to make. The Prime Minister probably is too, for that matter, but stay tuned. Listen up!

The COVID-19 vaccine program began on Monday. We all know that. The rollout of the vaccine is one of the largest logistical exercises undertaken in this nation's history. There are 134 vaccination sites around Australia, and nearly 44 per cent of those are in regional Australia. In conjunction with the states and territories and their health services, we expect there to be more than 1,000 vaccine sites across the country. The initial doses of the vaccine will be available to aged-care and disability-care residents and workers, frontline healthcare workers, and quarantine and border workers. The people eligible for the first round of vaccines who live in regional Australia will not be disadvantaged by their postcode, nor should they be. Everyone who gets the vaccine will be able to get it close to where they live. In the member for Cowper's electorate, the Garden Village nursing home residents and workers in Port Macquarie will begin receiving their vaccine in week 1. The CEO of Garden Village, Craig Wearne, said: 'Residents who call Garden Village home are looking forward to the Pfizer vaccine being rolled out at the facility from Saturday.' And 100-year-old resident Grace Symonds, describing her decision to have the vaccine, said, 'It's a way of helping to fight back.' Good on you, Grace!

The government is also working with both DHL and Linfox to ensure cold chain storage and supply to all Australians, including in rural and remote locations. I have mentioned Saul Resnick before. He is the CEO of DHL Supply Chain. He said that they have completed—I know you are all waiting for this with bated breath, so listen up—341 delivery consignments of vaccines so far and that the vaccines have travelled 397,782 km around Australia to get to their destinations. That is further than from the moon to the earth. Three cheers for that!

By road and by air they have delivered 49,655 doses of vaccine intact and within specification. I say, 'Well done,' to DHL, to those frontline medical personnel and to our truckies, who have done a magnificent job right throughout COVID to make deliveries. Whether it's now the vaccine, supplies to supermarkets, face masks or respiratory devices, they've done it. I say, on behalf of the parliament, 'Thank you and well done, Truckies.'

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