Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the national newspapers yesterday, the Prime Minister summed up the spirit of Australians, which comes in all forms in all our people. Our Olympians have inspired us in Tokyo. They have extraordinary talent, strength and fitness that is beyond most of us, but they are just regular Australians like all of us. The Olympics has given us an insight into our Olympians like no other. As the images of families and supporters, who would normally be in the stands but are in their own homes, are beamed back to us we can see that they are just regular Australians achieving extraordinary feats. That's what Australians do. Whether you're an Olympian, whether you work in health care or own a small business, whether you're busy raising a family, volunteering in the community or working nine to five, the same basic qualities which have always driven our national success apply equally. Decency, determination, honesty, passion, grit, ingenuity and innovation have seen us through so far.

When it comes to dealing with the COVID pandemic, it's now time for the home stretch. We need to bring that same spirit, which has served us faultlessly with every great national endeavour we've put our hand to, and turn it toward the vaccine rollout. There have been setbacks, no doubt. The Prime Minister has acknowledged that. He has taken responsibility for them and corrected them. Now our gold medal run to the end of the year has begun and it's up to you. There are vaccines available for everyone who is eligible. There is plenty of capacity and there are plenty of appointments available. The only thing left is for each and every Australian to make a booking and get vaccinated. I've had both of mine, and it's now time for you to do the same. Let's get back to normal life. Let's knock this on the head. Let's go for gold by Christmas. That would be something to celebrate.