Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman says that he's 'proud' of the Australian government's response. Stone cold, motherless last—that is where Australia is and that is where the Morrison government is in terms of vaccine schedule and vaccine delivery. That has real consequences for ordinary Australians and ordinary people. It has real consequences in terms of their health. It has real consequences in terms of the economy. We've seen from the budget projections of this government that it knows that because of its vaccine failure there will be at least one citywide lockdown every month for the duration of the financial year.

I watched Senator Colbeck's performance, answering questions about these issues in this afternoon's question time. Senator Colbeck very much gives the impression of a bloke who needs a hand crossing the road. He doesn't inspire confidence. He doesn't know the answers to basic questions. He doesn't appear to have the capability or the guts to face up to the big issues that face Australia in the vaccine rollout, in our response to the pandemic.

But Minister Hunt belled the cat in the other place this afternoon when he was asked the question. He confessed that there were discussions with Pfizer in July last year. Well, why on earth don't we have the proper levels of supply and the right vaccine options, enough vaccine options, for Australians to make sure that we are in the right position, that we are not sitting at the bottom of the queue, outside the league table of the top 100, when it comes to vaccine delivery? In July the government had it within its grasp to secure enough Pfizer vaccine doses to vaccinate Australians. But, instead—who knows why?—it put all our eggs in the AstraZeneca basket. How on earth are we going to get out of this mess?

The vaccine rollout catastrophe hurts ordinary Australians. There will be more of this disease because of the government's vaccine failure. That means more Australians will die of the COVID-19 virus. Others will be disabled. Many, many who didn't need to be ill will be ill. There will be more outbreaks. They will spread faster because of the government's vaccine failure. It will have significant economic impacts and we will be held back in terms of our living standards, jobs and economic growth because of the government's failure.

Ordinary Australians pulled their weight. They deserve a government that actually pulls its weight. We've heard all the excuses and all the language designed to deflect and blame others. We even heard the minister representing the health minister, Senator Colbeck, say yesterday that the government was 'repivoting'. What on earth does that mean? The truth is that we've gone from, 'I don't hold a hose, mate,' to, 'I don't hold a dose, mate.' Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister, is running out of other people to blame. We are in a post-repivot analysis now.

The truth is that the Prime Minister, when it comes to organising a press conference or a photo opportunity, is always there with bells on. There were 16 press conferences to make announcements over the course of last year and the first part of this year. On 7 September there was a big press conference to announce the AstraZeneca deal, with hundreds of photos. It was a big announcement. On 19 August there was another announcement. On 13 November there was another announcement. On 16 November he announced CSL as the local manufacturing site. I think that's when, wearing his Australian flag face mask, he held up an empty vaccine vial. Nothing could more symbolise the jingoism and the announcement-before-delivery approach of this government than holding up an empty vial at a press conference. They're all announcement and no delivery. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.