TRANSCRIPT: ABC NEWS BREAKFAST INTERVIEW, 15 February 2021

7:01AM

E&OE

Subjects: Trans-Tasman Travel Bubble, Coronavirus Vaccine, Returning Travellers;

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Joining us now is Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in our Parliament House bureau. Michael McCormack, a very good morning to you.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

The suspension of the New Zealand-Australia travel bubble – a bit of a blow?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

It is a bit of a blow, but it's only for three days and look, we've taken the best possible medical advice all the way through, Michael. I appreciate that New Zealand is also concerned with a very, very small outbreak. But we'll monitor the situation of course, and if at the end of the three days that everything is all good, the bubble-ban will be lifted.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Okay, Australians are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first batch of the Pfizer vaccines with reports this morning saying that that batch could arrive sometime within the next 48 hours. Can you confirm that?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, within the next week. I'm not going to give an exact date because if it’s slightly delayed for one reason or another, Michael, I certainly don't want to be held accountable for that and there are all sorts of things that happen. This is the biggest logistical exercise or one of the biggest in the nation's history and it's going to be safe. It's going to be secure. It's going to get to every remote, far-flung corner of the nation – the vaccine – and that's a good thing.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Okay, any States or Territories getting preference for the roll-out?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

No, no, we're rolling it out as soon as physically able to do so. DHL, which is partnering with the Government. has major sites in Western Sydney, in Adelaide and in Perth. They're a nationwide organisation and they have been doing deliveries for Australia indeed, three-quarters of our pharmaceuticals since the early 1970s. They'll get it right and it will be good.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

At the same time, yesterday, I think visiting one of the distribution centres, you conceded that the roll-out won't be flawless. What do you mean by that?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I'm not saying that it won't be flawless but we want to make sure that we get it right. Our quarantine system, obviously, is not flawless. Things happen and certainly what we've seen in Australia over the past 12 months is yes, we've had 909 deaths and that's very, very sad for those families indeed, the entire nation. But it's very good, it's the envy of the world when you consider what's happening elsewhere. Yes, we had little chinks in the armour of quarantine, but compared to what other nations are experiencing, it is very, very good too. And we will get these little outbreaks, there will be things that may or may not go wrong during the whole roll-out of the vaccine. As I say, it's the largest logistical exercise we've seen in many, many years and to think that it is going to go absolutely seamlessly, well, that's very much our hope. But there will be times where people would like to see the vaccine in some parts of Australia quicker. But we'll get it there as soon as possible and we urge and encourage those Australians to take up the opportunity.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Let's look at the rest of the world now, one in four British adults have received at least one dose. One in ten Americans have been vaccinated. The Prime Minister told us at the end of last year that

Australia would be near the front of the queue in terms of getting access to vaccines. Again, why are we waiting so long?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We are towards the front of the queue –

MICHAEL ROWLAND

There are a lot other countries before us though.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

There's been a lot of criticism too from Labor who have played the politics throughout all of this saying that we were rolling the vaccine out too early. What we've done is take the best possible advice of the best possible medical experts – the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, Professor Brendan Murphy and Professor Paul Kelly – all the way through we’ve taken the best possible advice. We have the Therapeutic Goods Administration, of course, world leading as far as making sure that if there is any drug that comes on to the market, that it is safe to be able to roll that out. That's what we've done. That's who we've listened to and this vaccine roll-out will be there and available for all Australians.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in the wake of the latest quarantine issues in Melbourne says there should be a national discussion too, about drastically lowering the number of Australians allowed back in the country. He suggests that only those with strong compassionate reasons should be allowed back. Is there room for that sort of discussion in your view?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, there is but you know, he's at odds obviously with Kristina Keneally who wants every Australian back tomorrow. And we'd obviously like to get every Australian back as soon as possible. But there are quarantine restrictions, of course. There are limits on those numbers coming back in. Again there's only a certain number of planes and Australia Government has helped that by facilitating paid-for flights to get back into the country. Again, this is a large logistical exercise. 450,000 Australians returned since the 13th of March last year when the Prime Minister did urge and encourage and, indeed, implore Australians to return.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Is Government working with the Northern Territory to increase capacity at the Howard Springs facility in the NT?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Yes, we are and that's a good thing and the Northern Territory Government has been very responsive in this regard.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Why not go one step further because as you say, there's a huge demand for Australians stuck overseas, many in really tight situations. Why doesn't the Federal Government step in to do more of the Howard Springs-type facilities around the country?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well because again, it's a major thing but we are. The Prime Minister was talking about the potential with the Queensland Government of a Toowoomba facility –

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Okay, is that something that the Federal Government will look at?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Again, we are also going to need health services in those regional areas if indeed, that does take place. And what we don't want to do is then expose regional Australia, where the health services aren't always as good as those in the metropolitan areas. And we want to make sure that we keep Australia as COVID-free as possible. We're getting Australians back as soon as we can. We're doing that through the States. We're doing that through again, the best possible advice listened to by the AHPPC and others.

MICHAEL ROWLAND

Okay, Michael McCormack, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you for joining us on News Breakfast.

Shane Manning