Ben Small (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yet again we find ourselves in this place with Labor conveniently ignoring many of the facts that have underpinned Australia's incredible success in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Let's not forget that the Morrison government led the world in closing the international border to arrivals from overseas, declared COVID-19 a pandemic more than two weeks before the WHO did, and, in fact, took the very, very important decision in August of last year to ensure that Australia has sovereign vaccine-manufacturing capability. Despite taking those decisions early—and despite ensuring that not only were the lives of Australians protected through the health response but also their livelihoods were protected, through programs such as JobKeeper, the cashflow boost and the other important economic stimulus measures—the government has worked collaboratively with the states and territories, through the national cabinet process, to ensure that the vaccine rollout occurs in an orderly and planned fashion.

It's also important to note that not only has national cabinet had complete oversight of the vaccine rollout but also that the Australian approvals of the vaccines were not done in an emergency fashion, because the Morrison government's success in managing the pandemic meant that we could allow evidence from overseas to be assessed, where countries such as the UK, the US and those in Europe experienced death rates far in excess of those experienced here in Australia and were forced, with their backs against the wall and bodies piling up in the streets, in some cases, to rush through emergency approval of the vaccines. Instead, Australia's expert authorities reviewed that evidence and came to the decisions that they did.

Now we find ourselves rolling out the vaccine through the national cabinet process. National cabinet agreed on 8 June to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine program for people aged over 40; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged between 16 and 49; NDIS participants aged over 16; and, indeed, temporary visa holders, who had previously been excluded. So we have responded to the dynamic situation of rolling out an unprecedented vaccination program in this nation. National cabinet further agreed, at the same time, not to proceed with the identification of other essential and high-priority workers in phase 2a, given the difficulty of defining these populations, simultaneously with the expansion of access to people aged over the age of 40.

So, at the end of the day, the Commonwealth, through the national cabinet process, is collaboratively prioritising vaccinations for those who most need them. We've simplified and streamlined access to the vaccination program, through state and territory operated sites—including, for example, providing walk-in access and no requirement to pre-book an appointment. Not only this, but we face criticism, despite that success in managing the pandemic and the approvals and rollout of the vaccination program—disingenuous attacks from those opposite on the quarantine program.

Let's cast our minds back to 27 March 2020—almost 15 months ago now—when national cabinet collectively made the unanimous decision that mandatory hotel quarantine would be implemented under state public health orders. That reflected the fact that the Commonwealth wasn't resourced with either the workforce or the facilities to handle the return of Australians from overseas in these circumstances. Notwithstanding that, some 360,000 Australians have been returned to our shores through that program, with a greater than 99.9 per cent success rate. So, whilst those opposite criticise us for not allowing Australians to return, they're equally criticising us for using hotel quarantine systems that give us the capacity to have had more than 360,000 people thus far, and counting, returned safely to Australia. It belies the credibility of their attack on government policy, which ignores the success that we have achieved in the health battle against COVID-19 and completely misrepresents the realities of the situation that we face.