Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Prime Minister said, 'Ultimately, everything is a state matter.' Was it the states or was it the Prime Minister who failed to deliver enough vaccine supply?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was being asked about state borders when that matter was raised yesterday.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a social measure—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a public health social measure. A border closure is done on the basis of a public health order. It's done on the basis of public health orders—that's exactly what it is. The Leader of the Opposition might want to freshen up on some of the facts. He might want to get across some of these issues if he wants to engage in these snide interjections which are the result of his own lack of knowledge and understanding of the challenges this country faces!

What I do know is this: today, I read this—a very wise statement made by a member of the Senate, 'I think we are getting to the end of the lockdown era, partly because we are doing so well on vaccinations.' Senator Kitching, a Labor senator from New South Wales, had an outbreak of truth in the Labor Party. There has been an outbreak of truth!

But I think the Leader of the Opposition remains vaccinated against the truth, completely vaccinated. There's no shortage of that when it comes to the Leader of the Opposition.

What we do know today is that, again, more than 330,000 vaccine doses have been administered right around the country. Today we will go close to—indeed I expect we will breach—20 million doses having been administered around the country. This week we announced the half a million additional doses of hope, of Pfizer, coming through the arrangement we were able to put together with the government of Singapore. There are also the million doses and more that we were able to secure in our arrangement with the Polish government. We are working these issues, ensuring we leave no stone unturned to ensure that we can continue to accelerate the vaccination program, which is now achieving rates of weekly vaccination that exceed even those of the United States and the United Kingdom at their peak.

Those opposite may want to talk this down. I'm pleased Senator Kitching has decided to take a different approach. They may want to seek to undermine and be negative and hope for the worst, but the government will continue working to deliver the best for this country. We're not only seeing that with the vaccination program; we're seeing it with the economic supports that have enabled us to bring Australians through one of the biggest crises this country has ever seen. So we will continue to do that, while the opposition will continue to be negative.

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

The Prime Minister has concluded his answer. The Leader of the Opposition can't be seeking the call for a question. Are you seeking it—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asking the Prime Minister to withdraw the comment that he just made. He's made it repeatedly. I've now lost seven of my constituents. They have died. No-one in Australia is hoping for the worst from this disease—because that's the worst, a loss of life. I'd ask the Prime Minister to withdraw.

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

The Leader of the Opposition has made his point. The remark was not unparliamentary. There's no doubt about that. The Leader of the Opposition can make the request, which he has done, but it's a matter for the Prime Minister given it wasn't an unparliamentary remark.