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

The Prime Minister does believe that as we implement the national plan towards reopening, which the Prime Minister took to the national cabinet and worked with the states and territories on to get them to make commitments consistent with that national plan, and as we achieve some of the highest levels of vaccination in the developed world—more than 91 per cent of Australians have now had a first dose and more than 85 per cent have now had a second dose—that we need to work through the different stages in that national plan. The different stages in that national plan chart the course towards normality—normality as it was before COVID.

Yes, that's knowing that of course vaccination and differing health protocols will require us to continue to manage and work with COVID. The Prime Minister, I and all members of the government urge every single Australian to go and get vaccinated. That is what everybody should do. But we want to make sure as well that in terms of the cafe owners, small business owners and staff working in retail across the country that all those individuals are respected in terms of the engagement they will have going forward in working in, living and operating businesses in one of the most heavily vaccinated countries in the world. That means that they should be free to operate in accordance with the laws of the land but that they also should be free in terms of not having undue, longer term and more-onerous-than-is-necessary restrictions based upon them in terms of how they enforce operations in their business or what they do in their business.

Indeed, that is why the national plan charted those different stages. And as we get the highest possible levels of vaccination in this country we should be looking to move into those final stages. We should be looking at the pathway into those final stages. That of course is the case here in the ACT, one of the most highly vaccinated jurisdictions in the world, and I have no doubt that is the case we're seeing in terms of where New South Wales and other states will head.