Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I can confirm that, at the rate of 70 per cent of the eligible population being vaccinated, there is still some scope for lockdowns under the Doherty institute modelling. The modelling contemplates those sorts of circumstances occurring as a part of the development of the phased plan for reopening the economy. There are a number of targets that talk about the progressive rates of vaccination within the country increasing to provide more and more freedoms. That's the point of the exercise: that the Australian community can understand the circumstances under which they might enjoy more freedoms; the circumstances by which governments—state, territory and Commonwealth—may make decisions about reopening the economy and the community. That is the point of the government commissioning the Doherty modelling, so that those circumstances would be clear to the Australian people.

It is contemplated that there still could be lockdowns under those circumstances, particularly as we see new variants of COVID-19 coming into circulation. Those circumstances may change, as they have done throughout the pandemic, and we will have to be prepared, as we have done so far, to adjust to those new variants and the new circumstances. But the Doherty Institute modelling has been put in place so Australians have a full understanding of the circumstances about reopening the community and the economy.