Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] Once again, Senator Watt and his questions, as has become commonplace from the Labor Party, airbrush the bits of history that they're not interested in. They simply ignore the realities of the 3.4 million doses that didn't arrive on schedule at the start of the year. They airbrush the challenges in relation to changes in the health advice relating to the AstraZeneca vaccine. They pretend those things didn't occur and just surge on, pursuing their politically motivated agenda. That's the choice of the Labor Party.

We've acknowledged, yes, there've been challenges. We've taken responsibility for fixing the challenges, and we are pleased to see the rate of the vaccine rollout now charging ahead across Australia. In the last week alone, 1.8 million doses have been administered around Australia. That is the population of South Australia provided with a vaccine dose, all in one week. We are running at a rate of administration of vaccines now higher than was ever achieved in the United States at their peak and higher than was ever achieved in the United Kingdom at their peak, and that's before we see the increase in supply that will come through further in the coming months. We've secured additional supply already, and there's more coming. We will see, with that extra supply, even more distribution outlets brought online. At that point, there will be the ability for us to open up to the entire adult population, providing all Australians with the opportunity to follow the magnificent lead of our older and senior Australians, who have turned out, as the first cohorts made eligible, in record numbers, taking the effort and the time to get vaccinated. Now some 85-plus per cent of senior Australians have received their first dose, setting a very strong example that I trust, based on the growth rates we're seeing across every other age cohort, will be followed by Australians to help us reach the crucial targets of 70 and 80 per cent, and hopefully further in the time to come.