2020-08-19
Greens Leader Adam Bandt and Health spokesperson Dr. Richard Di Natale have called on the Morrison government to drop the spin and take real action on a COVID Vaccine.
The Greens say the government’s “big announcement” of a vaccine deal with AstraZeneca has turned out to have little substance and the government has also failed to join the COVAX global vaccine initiative despite the Prime Minister saying the world needs to share the vaccine.
Quotes attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt:
“Instead of doing what is really needed, the government is trying to spin its way out of its failure to act on a COVID vaccine.”
“A letter of intent is not an agreement or a deal. And this is just one vaccine program, but what if it fails? The government seems to be putting all our chips on one number on the vaccine roulette wheel.”
“We should be joining the COVAX global vaccine initiative to maximise the chance of success for Australia and the world. After all the rhetoric about supporting the global vaccine push, it is shocking that the Morrison government has failed to sign up to the international effort to ensure access to a vaccine and failed to put any money in.”
Quotes attributable to Senator Richard Di Natale:
“The only way out of this pandemic is a vaccine yet the government's puny contribution to vaccine development and failure to sign up to multilateral programs and so far one flimsy bilateral letter of intent is putting Australia at the back of the queue.”
“It is not even clear that the Oxford vaccine could be manufactured in Australia.”
“We can’t let Australia fall victim of ‘vaccine nationalism’. The Prime Minister needs to put his money where his mouth is and sign up to international effort and invest big dollars to ensure the vaccine is available to Australia and the world.”
Under questioning last week by Senator Richard Di Natale the Secretary of Health confirmed the government had not signed up to the main international effort to secure vaccine access globally, nor contributed a single dollar.