Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Longman and especially thank all of the nurses and doctors, the pathologists, around Australia who have been taking action, whether it's through testing or whether it's through vaccination, to save and protect the lives of Australians over the course of the pandemic. A little while before question time I spoke with Dr Evan Jones from the member for Longman's electorate. He is running the Morayfield Commonwealth vaccination clinic and, to this point in time, they have delivered over 37,000 vaccinations. Two hundred staff are employed there; 140 of those have been employed to assist during the course of the Commonwealth vaccination clinic. That includes 80 nurses and 60 other staff who have been employed. Every one of those vaccinations is helping to protect a life and to protect others.

Around Australia though, this story is being told across the nation. As the Prime Minister mentioned, there were a record 262,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours. In the last two days there have been over half a million vaccinations, or the population of Newcastle. In the last three days there have been over 730,000 vaccinations, or the population of the Gold Coast. And in the last 10 days—

Ms Swanson interjecting—

Ms Collins interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The members for Paterson and Franklin will cease interjecting. I say to the member for Franklin: the front bench is already thin enough, okay?

An honourable member interjecting—

I will pass that on to those who have left. The minister has the call.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

over 2,080,000, or approximately the population of Perth. These are the people who've been vaccinated. Those that are doing it—our nurses, our doctors, those that are testing, our pathologists and their assistants—are real heroes. In particular, I also spoke with Loretta Facey, from the Hastings medical centre in my own electorate. Loretta and her fellow nurses and the doctors—she does say that the nurses have done the bulk of the work—there and at their counterpart facility, the Chelsea Heights Medical Centre, between them have done 15,000 vaccinations. Loretta Facey, from the Hastings medical centre, alone has done over 3,500 vaccinations. She's an Australian vaccination hero, but she is one of thousands and thousands of nurses and doctors at over 5,160 GP practices, along with our pharmacists, who have done an extraordinary job. These people are saving lives and protecting lives in record numbers.