TRANSCRIPT: PARLIAMENT HOUSE DOORSTOP, 22 February 2021

7:21AM

E&OE

Subjects: Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout, Regional Australia, Culture in the Australian Parliament, Facebook;

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, good morning and what a good morning it is and Jane Malysiak has shown the way. She is the first of hopefully 60,000 Australians this week who will receive the vaccine. This vaccine is, as the Prime Minister said himself, a game changer. We want to, we need to, we have to get Australia back to some sort of pre-COVID normality and this is the way to do it. Chief medical experts have said that it’s safe to do so. Jane, 84, she’s shown the way. The PM has got the jab. As I say, this week it’s going to be rolled out right throughout the country.

I’m pleased that there’s going to be 134 rural and regional centres that are going to get that vaccine out this week. So important too, that we get the vaccine out to rural and regional Australia. They have been magnificent right throughout COVID, leading the way in our economic recovery. And pleasing to see a survey conducted by the Regional Australia Institute showing that one in five people who live in metropolitan Australia are considering a change, a tree change, to an inland centre to live, to enjoy what inland Australia has to offer, what rural and regional Australia has to offer – cheaper lifestyle, cheaper housing, but certainly jobs out there. 54,000 jobs in rural and regional Australia right now. There’s jobs out there. There’s opportunities out there. You can live like a king and queen and don’t have to fight the traffic for an hour-and-a-half each morning in a city area. Don’t have to fight the traffic coming home from work. And you can have a large four-bedroom house with big backyard, friendly people. Those rural and regional centres, they are big enough in which to get a good cup of coffee, they’re small enough to still care.

JOURNALIST

In terms of Pfizer vaccine, you know, you were involved with the logistics of that a week or so ago. How is that all going? Are there more shipments on their way? The storage and all the rest of it?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, you’ve just nailed it – the shipments are on their way. Saul Resnick from DHL spoke to me yesterday and he messaged me yesterday to say, “Well, it’s getting out there. We’re doing our job. We partnering up with Government. It’s getting out to rural and regional Australia. It’s getting out to the entire country.” And this is going to be one of the nation’s largest logistical exercises and we’re determined to get it right. It’s a massive task, but the fact is Jane has shown the way – 60,000 this week. It was a great day yesterday.

JOURNALIST

In terms of also the vaccine, yesterday were you disappointed last night when the Chairman of Tennis Australia was talking about the vaccine and she was being booed by the crowd?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, I think that was rather disgusting behaviour. I don’t like booing at any event and certainly any sporting event. But Jayne Hrdlicka has done a great thing for Australia. In fact, you know, with Virgin Australia, we’ve still got those flights right across the country. We’re proud of the fact that our $2.72 billion of assistance, sector-wide assistance, has helped Virgin stay in the air. We’re proud of what we’ve done as a Government and Virgin should be proud of what it’s done as a company to keep those planes in the air. Because planes in the air means jobs on the ground.

Jayne Hrdlicka, of course, her involvement with Tennis Australia last night mentioned vaccines and got booed. Well, that’s not Australian. I’m sorry, that is just un-Australian. This vaccine is going to get our country back to some sort of pre-COVID normality. This vaccine is going to prevent Australians from being in an ICU bed down the track. This vaccine needs to roll out right across the country. And while it’s not mandatory, while you don’t have to get the vaccine, I encourage Australians to do so not just for their own sake but for those people who have loved ones, those in around their families but also that stranger on the bus, that stranger on the train, that stranger they might bump into and particularly the elderly Australian. They owe it to them to get the vaccine. They owe it to them to do their bit for Australia.

JOURNALIST

A third woman has come forward this morning alleging that she was sexually assaulted by the same former Government adviser. Are you surprised that there is now more than one woman and how deep does this problem run in the Coalition?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, as the Prime Minister said, you’d have to be kidding yourself if you thought this was just something that happened in the Parliament. This, sadly – sadly – happens all around workplaces across Australia. And you mentioned Coalition – I think that’s very unfair, very unfair. This sadly happens in other workplaces and in other political parties. It shouldn’t happen. People should have respect, and certainly – certainly – should have respect for women. The women who work in this workplace and every workplace deserve that respect.

I know that Brittany is going to be making a statement to Australian Federal Police as I understand this Wednesday. And that’s good, that’s an important step. The Prime Minister has certainly put in an external complaint mechanism so that that can be investigated and he’s put Celia Hammond in charge of making sure that that process works as far as the parliamentary internal processes are concerned. And Anne Webster from the National Party will help Celia Hammond in those efforts.

JOURNALIST

Just following on from that, does the PM and does the Government in general, along with the Opposition need to make a statement this week about the independent inquiry into the culture and safety at Parliament House?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, they may well do that, but the important thing too, is Brittany’s welfare. That’s very important first and foremost. She’s making a formal statement, as I understand, to the Australian Federal Police this Wednesday. And probably given the fact, the nature of that, it’s probably inappropriate for me to comment further.

JOURNALIST

And just back on the vaccines, given the booing at the tennis last night and the protests that we saw over the weekend, doesn’t this show that the Government is going to have a bit of a battle on its hands to convince Australians to have the jab, other than, you know, aged care residents, health workers and so forth, but the general public?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Yes, well, it will be a challenge. But when you get Pete Evans and other people out expressing their nutty ideas at protests, I mean, some of these protests if you looked at other recent protests, I mean, they turn up to every one. They’re against everything. They’re against life in this instance. They’re against the fact that people should be getting the vaccine. While it’s not mandatory I absolutely encourage Australians to get it. And as I say, not just for their own sake but for those around them – their loved ones around them, for those people who they don’t even know who they might come in contact with. It’s so important that they get that jab.

JOURNALIST

Just on Facebook quickly, there seems to be an impasse between the Government and the company on this. How concerned are you that this will continue to go on, that news will continue to be blocked, particularly in regional areas which aren’t as well services by the major news organisations?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, you’ve all turned up today. I encourage you to keep doing that. I did a media conference in Geraldton on Friday and we had any number of cameras and reporters there. Those efforts of those journalists deserve to be compensated. The companies that send them there to interview politicians and to cover events, that deserves to be compensated. Why should Australian media organisations spend all this money on fine journalists and camera people such as yourselves and not be rewarded by a big tech company? Now, I know there’ll be more discussions to that effect and that is good. But, you know, Facebook should be paying for the content they use online. Thank you very much. Have a great day.

ENDS 7:29AM

Shane Manning