TRANSCRIPT: WAGGA WAGGA PRESS CONFERENCE, 7 June 2021

8:15AM

E&OE

Subjects: Vaccine Roll-Out, Aged Care, Wagga Wagga Airport;

JOURNALIST

So, we’re here at Glenrock Country Practice, how are the vaccines going? How are we going as far as numbers and people coming in for the jab?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

As we all know, we are in a war against the virus and we’ve got the weapon to combat the virus and this weapon is the vaccination. I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated. We have been doing very well in the last week or so and since the Victorian threat people have come through and have been getting vaccinated. We wish we didn’t have to have a threat to get vaccinated and this is our only way to combat this virus that has ruined our life for a year and a half, almost two years, so get vaccinated.

JOURNALIST

So, when you say you’re doing well, you can do 240 jabs a day here, how many are you doing?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

We’re doing 150, so it’s a lot better than the 20s that we were having before. So, people are now coming through. The more people come through, the more they are trusting AstraZeneca as a good vaccination. It’s one of the best vaccinations in the world, so I would encourage people to trust, come in, get the vaccine to keep safe, keep their family safe and keep our community safe.

JOURNALIST

Have we had anyone here with major reservations about AstraZeneca or any side effects?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

Look, patients do have reservations and I think it’s absolutely all right to come and discuss with the doctor and I do not think that there’s any patient who had reservations who didn’t get the jab in the end, because we give them the right information, we give them the stats and get them aware of what might happen and that’s what people want to know. They want to know the real issues and how much effective is the vaccine and what sort of side effects they might face and what they do if they have the side effects.

JOURNALIST

What is one misconception you would like to publicly erase from this narrative? If there’s something people are coming at you with about AstraZeneca or vaccines, what would you like them to not worry about?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

I would like them to know it is a safe, effective vaccine against the virus and that’s the most important thing. Yes, there are some side effects, but fortunately in Australia, we’ve got the tools, even if you get a blood clot, then we have the tools to treat it. So, this idea of a blood clot will kill you, is not true.

JOURNALIST

I understand there’s Pfizer coming into the picture at some point down the track. Do you have any update on where that will be for your GP network?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

I think we are waiting for the Commonwealth to give us the green light for the Pfizer vaccination. I think it’s very important. I know it’s coming through the State and it’s very important for a hub like this to be able to vaccinate as much people. We want to vaccinate as much people as we can in a shorter period of time.

JOURNALIST

Do you have the capability to store and administer the Pfizer vaccine here now?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

Yes, we know that Pfizer now can be stored in a normal vaccination fridge for up to 30 days. So, there would be no problems getting the Pfizer here in the clinic and our staff is trained and have done the courses to be able to administer Pfizer. There’s a bit of difference in the way you prep’ the vaccine, but our staff is very well trained to do so. So, I don’t think there’s any problems with the administration of Pfizer here, so we’re waiting for the green light to do that.

JOURNALIST

Why do you think there is still hesitancy? Why are we still not reaching the 240 max?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

I think there is a lot of information out there and patients do get confused with information. There’s a spaghetti of information and sometimes patients would rely on their doctor or their GP to work through that information and we assure them about what’s real and what’s the right thing to do and normally patients will take that.

JOURNALIST

Any more work being done to cater to the linguistically diverse community in terms of passing on information?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

Absolutely, I think there is work that’s being done and there’s translation for all the information to linguistically diverse population. We also can use an interpreter in our work and there is access to the interpretation of information to patients.

JOURNALIST

You said a few weeks ago that just with those low numbers, you were facing the prospect of maybe having to throw some AstraZeneca vaccines away? Have you had to dispose of any and are you still facing that prospect?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

Look, I think we are doing really well in the past couple of weeks and that means that we’re not going to waste any vaccine at this stage. We also are working with the local health districts and with other GPs and other districts and we can transfer vaccines to areas where they are needed now, which is good. So, we have an agreement to do that. This should be done under very strict conditions and we are ready to do that. If we have any vaccinations that are about to go off, then we are able to transfer them to areas where they are needed.

JOURNALIST

And you said before that we’re in a war against this virus and the vaccine is one of our best weapons.

AYMAN SHENOUDA

Yes.

JOURNALIST

What would you like to see the Federal Government do to assist you as a GP running a clinic like this to ramp up the roll out?

AYMAN SHENOUDA

I have to say that, you know, we have been approached by the Federal Government to run this clinic and we have put an interest and since then, there’s been a lot of activity happening and a lot of support from the Federal Government for us to be able to deliver the vaccine. I would love to see the Pfizer vaccine coming in, in action and I think this is all depending on what’s adequate or what’s the best policies to do that and I’m waiting for the Pfizer to come in so we think we can start jabbing people even under the age of 50.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Normally, I’m getting needled by either the media or the Opposition in Question Time but today, I’m actually going to get a jab from my local friendly GP, Dr Ayman Shenouda, and I’m looking forward to it. I waited until it was my turn to get the vaccination – I think that was important – I didn’t want people to think I was jumping the queue but today, I’m getting the AstraZeneca. Whether it was Pfizer or AstraZeneca, the efficacy of both are very, very good and of course, because I am over 50, the AstraZeneca is going to go into my arm and I urge and encourage others to do the same. Get on to that New South Wales app, make sure you register your interest. Come down to either Glenrock Country Practice or one of the many other facilities across the region – thousands have already done so. You just heard from Dr Shenouda, who stressed the importance of getting the vaccination, stressed the importance of doing it not just for yourself, not just for your family, not just for your community, but indeed strangers, who you would never have met and indeed may never meet. We’ve seen with the Victorian outbreak just how important it is to get this vaccination and we’ve seen the ramp-up in the number of people across the country who are doing that. Of course, just recently, we’ve enlisted the help of the Royal Flying Doctor Service to go to those remote communities, some of them indeed in remote Riverina, those far western and northern parts of the region, which are part of the 30,000 people in 80 communities which will be receiving those vaccinations via the RFDS. Of course, we’ve enlisted the help as well of pharmacies – 49 opening today in Queensland, other states to come on board very soon. I urge and encourage people to join the fad, get the jab, make sure that you do it for yourself, do it for your health and do it for others as well.

JOURNALIST

Michael, does it concern you that we needed an outbreak in Victoria for people to actually start ramping up and coming in and getting their vaccines?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, it’s actually heightened people’s awareness that they need to do it and of course, because we’ve done so well in this nation as far as keeping the case rates very low, keeping the death rates very low – we’ve only had one death so far this year, sadly, and 910 deaths since James Kwan was the first actually to lose his life on 1 March last year, it seems an eternity ago. We’ve lived with this virus sadly for around 18 months. It has as Dr Shenouda has just been saying, very worrying and troubling for the world. Of course, it’s a worldwide effort to combat this insidious virus, but Australia has done very well. We consider America, 595,000 deaths – hundreds each and every day. We’ve had one death this year. We’ve done very well and that I suppose has led to some sort of complacency across communities that, “Well, I’ll get the jab. I’ll just mosey on down and get it.” I say to Australians, make sure you do. Don’t wait. Get that jab when you’re eligible to do so and do it for yourself and do it for your community.

JOURNALIST

Mr McCormack, you talked about complacency and that affected communities, but I suppose Government is part of the push to keep Australia, as you say, doing well. How likely is it that the Federal Government will back a Commonwealth run quarantine facility in New South Wales?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we’ll take those submissions on board and of course, we’ve had a very good submission put to us by the Victorian Government at Avalon. We’re looking at that and other submissions that have been put to us by the states and indeed, if New South Wales comes forward with a submission, we’ll take that on board as well. Of course, we’ve laid out the criteria for those facilities to be operated, to be run and to be built and indeed those criteria include, close proximity to a tertiary hospital, international flights. There are a number of criteria. They are important criteria. They need to be met. The Federal Government is willing to work with states in a collaborative and cooperative way, as we’ve done the whole way through, taking the best possible advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and others. That’s what we’ve done the whole way through and that’s why we’ve kept the case rates low. That’s why we’ve kept the death toll very, very low and that’s why we’ve been able to keep Australia as relatively COVID free and safe as can be.

JOURNALIST

You spoke then about criteria. What would the New South Wales Government need to do to secure a facility?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, they’ll need to put forward a submission that indeed, has a facility in an area in a location close to a tertiary hospital, close to a major hospital, providing that support. We don’t want to plonk – just merely plonk a facility in a remote area where there’s no health services available. We want to make sure that it has access to an international airport so that if people need to be ferried from the airport to the facility, they can do so in a quick and efficient manner. There are a number of criteria. The states realise that and we’ll work closely whether it’s with Brad Hazzard, the Premier Gladys Berejiklian, whoever, to make sure that those criteria are part of the submission and will be met.

JOURNALIST

Michael, the Federal Government is working to roll out the Pfizer vaccine as well. I understand there are some jabs on the way. What sort of time line do we have before we see them at GP clinics like Glenrock here?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, that will be for those people under 50 and that is part of the strategy. We’re actually talking about those things and others today, but indeed, as you’ve just heard from Dr Shenouda, the Pfizer vaccine can be stored safely here at Glenrock Country Practice in Wagga Wagga – so that is good. I visited a clinic at Young not that many weeks ago and spoke to the doctors there about what they’re doing as far as Pfizer and AstraZeneca and others, but at the moment the AstraZeneca is being rolled out to those over 50s. That’s the strategy we have put in place. It is working well. I just urge and encourage people to make sure, when they’re eligible to do so, go on, register their interest on that New South Wales app, if they are indeed in this State and go and get the jab.

JOURNALIST

What are the repercussions if we don’t get this vaccination up and running as fast as we can and get all the people vaccinated?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, borders will be locked down for longer, businesses won’t be open as much and often as they should be and Premiers, unfortunately, when there are a handful of cases, when there are minor outbreaks, may well decide to lock down borders – that is unfortunate. We want Australia to open up as best as we can, as fast as we can and we don’t want to see what we’re seeing in Victoria at the moment. Indeed, Professor Brendan Murphy and Professor Paul Kelly have both said that there will be outbreaks. This is a virus. There are variants of it and of course, the tracking and tracing in most states is very, very good and we’re getting on top of these sorts of things, but we will get minor outbreaks. We will get outbreaks in the future. That has been stated by the health experts. We’re doing our very best as a nation and we have done marvellously well. We are the envy of the world when it comes to our health outcomes and indeed, our economic outcomes. The Budget had a substantial amount of money for ongoing assistance and support for all sectors right across the economy and indeed the $253 billion of support that we put on the table even before the May 11 Budget had made sure that businesses had kept open, it made sure that people were still engaged with their workplaces. And that’s what we’ll continue to do to monitor this and tweak support measures as we see fit and indeed to keep aviation as best we can with planes in the air because that means jobs on the ground and we’re doing that the whole way through.

JOURNALIST

Where do you stand on the notion of vaccine passports? Do you support that?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, what the Prime Minister said is that businesses may make these decisions for and on behalf of their own commercial interests, but look, at the moment, we want to get as many people vaccinated as possible. We don’t want to see people have to get some sort of passport to get from one state to another. We want our borders internally to be open all the time, as best we can and that’s something that I know has been discussed around the National Cabinet table and that’s something I support.

JOURNALIST

Today, you’re urging people to get the COVID vaccine, you are warning against complacency. What did you mean then when you said recently that the roll out wasn’t a race?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, it’s not a race. What I don’t want to see people doing is being alarmed. I don’t want them to be alarmed. I want them to be yes, concerned and yes, concerned enough to go and get the jab when they’re eligible to do so, but there’s no need to panic. There’s no need to be alarmed. The efficacy of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca has been very much put through the Therapeutic Goods Administration process and they’ve said that both vaccinations are very, very good at combatting this virus and what I want to see is people get that jab. What I want to see is all Australians get that jab so they can protect themselves and their communities and their families and loved ones, strangers they’ve never met, so that we can get the borders reopened as soon as we can so that we can organise those travel bubbles. We’ve got one with New Zealand at the moment. It would be great to see in the not too distant future other travel bubbles with other nations that also have high vaccination rates and low case rates and low death rates of course, so that we can get international travel to some sort of pre-COVID normality.

JOURNALIST

You’re talking about the urgency of the vaccine roll out, urging people to get the vaccine as early as they can. Why are you getting your vaccination today? Why wait? Were you eligible earlier? Did you not want to –

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, a lot of other politicians and I know the political leaders of the nation were lining up in the very first week. What I didn’t want my community to think was that I was jumping the queue. So, when the vaccination became available for over 50s and six years ago I got into that category. So, I thought, well, when I’m eligible to do so, I will get the vaccination. I just didn’t want to be seen to be jumping the queue and I didn’t.

JOURNALIST

Just on an unrelated matter, given the recent G7 decision to move towards a minimum global corporate tax rate of 15 per cent, will this make Australia uncompetitive if we don’t follow suit?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We’re very competitive. In fact, the corporate small business tax rate is actually the lowest it’s been since 1940 and I was proud when I was the Small Business Minister in 2016 to make that taxation rate reduce from 30 per cent down to 27.5 per cent. It’s on a trajectory down, down, down because that’s what the Liberals and the Nationals do. We make sure that businesses, individuals, pay less tax, because we want people, whether they’re running small businesses and they have been absolutely marvellous particularly over these last 18 months, against all manner of things which have affected their operations, whether it was drought, whether it was bushfires, whether it was flooding, mice plagues, indeed COVID, they have been absolutely magnificent, engaging with their employees, keeping their doors open and making sure that the high streets and main streets of country towns were open for business. I pay a tribute to them, I’ve run a small business, I know how difficult it is. I know the risks they take and how good they do things for and on behalf of the economy. They’ll go on doing that. They’ll go on paying less tax under the Liberals and the Nationals. If the other mob get in, they’ll jack taxes up. They’ll do it for all manner of reasons, just like they have elsewhere in the world and I agree that businesses and individuals should be paying less tax.

JOURNALIST

I appreciate you’re talking about a sort of historical comparison with Australia’s corporate tax rate, but of course, the question is about a comparison with international competitors – if you will – different tax rates internationally. How exactly do you think a person doing business in Australia should look at that global agreement to lower the corporate tax rate and how competitive are we in comparison?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We are a very competitive player when it comes to anything anywhere in the world. We are a very competitive player and that is why I notice that the Brits overnight are talking about our beef and talking up our beef as far as how good it is with trade negotiations going on there with UK coming through that BREXIT process. Dan Tehan has been over there. Our climate position is very good. Our emissions are the lowest they’ve been for 19, 20 years and on a world scale, we’re doing very well – highest rooftop solar take up anywhere in the world per capita. We’re making sure that we play our part, responsibility responsibly in that regard. Any measure, by any standard that you’d like to point the finger at Australia and say how well are we doing, we’re doing very, very well. I wouldn’t want to be in any other country in the world, particularly at the moment with COVID and I wouldn’t want to be in any particular place in the world than regional Australia because it’s the safest on the planet in which to live at the moment.

JOURNALIST

Speaking of regional Australia, let’s go to Harden Aged Care. I know there is a new provider there. They’re trying to secure 45 bed licences from the Federal Government. How is that process going and do you think that they’ll be able to get –

MICHAEL McCORMACK

The aged care round will be announced this month and I’m very confident that Harden Aged Care will be very much a part of that community, as it’s been for many, many years and I’m very confident of their future. I’ve spoken a number of times with the new owners. I’ve spoken a number of times with the previous owners and I want to make sure that Harden gets the right aged care, the best aged care that it deserves. That community has given so much to make sure those beds and more importantly, their own local citizens have a place to go in their twilight years. And I want to make sure that those families have the confidence to know that the Federal Government backs them all the way.

JOURNALIST

Did you know that facility was closing ahead of time or was it shock for you as well?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

It was a shock. It was an absolute shock. It was done very hastily. It was done very quickly. I’ve worked certainly with the previous owners. I’m working with the new owners to make sure that they get best outcome.

JOURNALIST

Just quickly on Wagga Airport as well, I know Wagga council has cancelled the lease once it runs out. They’re still wanting it to be sold to them for a dollar. I know you’re firm on the RAAF base, but are we going to reach some sort of agreement here or is Wagga Council –

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, they’re not getting it for a dollar. They’re not getting it because I want the Royal Australian Air Force, which has been part and parcel of the city for decades, to continue to do the great job it does in a strategic base not just for our nation’s security but indeed, for our city and for our region. To allow that airfield and that airbase to have that airstrip go to council may well see the Air Force look at or revisit their need to stay there in the future. I’m not going to let that happen. As the Federal Member, I’m not going to let that happen. I’ve said that right from the start, right since 2010 when I was first asked that question. We’re not spending around half a billion dollars out at the Royal Australian Air Force to have it jeopardised in any way, shape or form. That’s why we’re also spending hundreds of millions of dollars out at Kapooka to make sure that the tri-service city reputation continues in Wagga Wagga. Of course, I’ve also asked the Wagga Wagga City Council a couple of years ago for a submission for a business park so that we can have more general aviation, so we can have such things as the paint facility that REX now owns, as far as Douglas Aerospace. If Wagga City Council can bring me that sort of proposal, I’ll certainly look at it. I’ve been waiting a couple of years. I’m more than happy to continue to have those discussions with the council. I know they want the best for the airport too. It is the gateway not just for our city, but to the region and so many people come in and out there every day for tourism, for business, for health, for any other reason. It’s an important part of our city and I want it to have the best possible future.

JOURNALIST

Council believes they are missing out on rounds of funding and things like that from the State Government because it is a Federally owned facility. Is there a possibility to maybe separate the facility from the runway or create some sort of barrier there so the RAAF can keep their resources and council can update its –

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I’m sure council has put that in its submission. When it provides it and I know that in the past, the State Government has actually funded various things such as terminal refurbishments et cetera. But I’ll look forward to any proposal that council provides.

JOURNALIST

Just before you said Australia is competitive on the global stage with any possible measure. Can you say the same about our coronavirus vaccine roll out?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, yes and I’m also pleased that the Federal Government is providing the vaccination to our South Pacific Islands friends. I’m very proud to be part of a Government that is doing that because as good neighbours you should look after your own backyard. We’re doing that. So, right throughout the Pacific, we’re going to be providing the vaccinations free of charge, as we’re doing with the rest of our own country. Because that’s what a good neighbour does, that’s what a responsible citizen does and that’s what the Federal Government is doing.

JOURNALIST

How many people in Australia have been fully vaccinated?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I’m not sure. You’d have to ask the question of the health department. I do know that more than four million have received their first jabs. Many of them have received their second. But like I said, you’d have to follow that up with health because it changes every day. We’re getting 100,000 people vaccinated every day and that’s a good thing. So, without further ado, I’m now going to get a needle in my arm and others should follow suit. Thank you.

ENDS 8:38AM

Shane Manning