SUBJECTS: McCormack’s says vaccination not a race; PM’s visit to New Zealand; NSW Labor.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: Morning thanks for joining me. This morning Michael McCormack has joined with Scott Morrison in saying that this isn't a race. It's not a race when it comes to rolling out the vaccine, or having appropriate federal quarantine facilities according to this government. But we know the consequences of their go slow rollout of the vaccine and their failure on appropriate quarantine facilities.
 
We're seeing it right now in Victoria, a risk to people's health, but as well, a risk to our economy and a pause on Victorians going about their way of life. There are real consequences here from the Federal Government's complacency. And that's why they continue to call it out by saying it's not a race. The fact is, as well, that the rest of the world understands, that the rollout of the vaccine is entirely necessary to be done as quickly as possible so that they can open up their economy. And as the rest of the world opens up, Australia will be increasingly falling behind. We were told we're at the front of the queue. And we're not even in the top 100 of nations. We were told that 4 million Australians would be vaccinated before April one. Well, that's turned out to be an April Fool's joke on the Australian people from Scott Morrison's Government, because they not only did not achieve that target, they've patted themselves on the back. And have said, it's not a race, well, what planet are they on? Because there are real consequences behind the failure on vaccine rollouts and on quarantine.
 
I want to also make some comments about the Prime Minister's visit to New Zealand. Today, Jacinda Ardern is reconfirming the New Zealand offer of taking people who are in offshore detention so that those offshore detention centres can be cleared. We've seen an enormous cost to the Australian taxpayer as a result of the Government's refusal to accept this offer from New Zealand. And if they had accepted that offer from New Zealand those funds could have been used in the last year to have quarantine facilities around the country up and running. One of those of courses that Exmouth in Western Australia, which could be up and running today. Just as if the offers had been taken up that have been made, for a long time now, around Wellcamp Airport near Toowoomba, around Avalon airport in Victoria. These facilities, purpose built, should be in place, and the federal Government is responsible for quarantine. They should have acted earlier. They haven't. But it's not too late. But it will be too late if we have the acting Prime Minister saying it's not a race and still being complacent about this absolutely critical issue of rolling out the vaccine and indeed setting up appropriate quarantine facilities.
 
Happy to take questions.
 
JOURNALIST: Should the Federal Government be reinstating income support for these Victorians enduring their fourth lockdown, and should it be in a similar vein to JobKeeper.
 
ALBANESE: Well, there should be economic support for Victorian businesses that are suffering. This is a direct result of a failure of quarantine hotels in Adelaide. This is something that has required a lockdown. And there are economic consequences for that. This is a direct result of the Federal Government not having appropriate facilities in place and the federal government should step up to its responsibility.
 
JOURNALIST: What about individuals who might have been confused by Dan Tehan's comments earlier about potential eligibility?
 
ALBANESE: Well who wasn't confused by Dan Tehan. He's appeared on Insiders twice now. The previous time he spent his entire interview attacking the Andrews Government in Victoria. Then had to go out and apologise. And today he should apologise for the confusion on the Insider's programme. I'm not sure what he was saying. I know that he wasn't clear at all. But he implied that there was already significant economic support available.  The federal government needs to clarify exactly what it means. This is a government where the messages, whether it's about income support,  about whether people should be vaccinated, or whether it be about national quarantine needs to get its messages straight. And that's why Labor has said there needs to be a four point plan, that's very clear. Effective rollout of the vaccine, appropriate quarantine facilities, an effective public information campaign to promote the vaccine and the production of mRNA vaccines right here. This is a plan that should have been put in place last year. Last year would have been better.  Today, though, would be better than leaving it till tomorrow. Because what this government does, is under Scott Morrison, is wait until there's an absolute crisis before it acts, whether it's a response to bushfires, whether it be the response to the March for Justice, held by women throughout the country, whether it be the rollout of the vaccine, whether it be appropriate quarantine facilities, this government never leads, it always waits until there's an absolute crisis. And only then do we get an appropriate response from Scott Morrison and his government.
 
JOURNALIST: How do you suggest that the government could inject some urgency into this vaccination programme?
 
ALBANESE: Well, they could start with a decent public information campaign. I mean, they're more ads out there for individual businesses than there are for the rollout of the vaccine. And those ads that have been used, frankly, people would have slept through them. What we see overseas in New Zealand, for example. You could ask Jacinda Ardern how to run an effective ad campaign that has been run in New Zealand, in the United Kingdom. In the United States we have various programmes to encourage the rollout of the vaccine. And I'll say this as well, that the Government's dissembling when it comes to information whereby it's attempted to say that people are fully vaccinated after they've had one jab, does him no credit, does him no credit whatsoever. The truth is that just two-and-a-half per cent of Australians have been vaccinated. And the truth is that the government tried to hide this failure by using different figures at different times. That is adding to the confusion. What we should have is a system, like they have in the United Kingdom, whereby each day the public information is given how many people have received their first jab, how many people have received their second jab, different categories - How many people with disabilities have received their full vaccinations? How many residents have aged care what percentage have received their vaccinations? How many aged care workers have received their vaccinations?
 
It is really concerning that today there are suggestions that one of the people in Victoria, who have tested positive may have been an aged care worker. We have been saying for some time that essential workers, including those in aged care, need to be priorities when it comes to being vaccinated. And yet they've been told, just go to your local GP join the queue. You're not a priority. Surely people who work in the healthcare sector, including in aged care, need to be very much at the front of the queue.
 
JOURNALIST: you mentioned establishing good quarantine facilities, but shouldn't fully vaccinated  foreign visitors and students be able to quarantine at home?
 
ALBANESE:I support following the health advice, but if we had appropriate facilities, that wouldn't be an issue. If we had appropriate facilities like there are at Howard springs, where the federal government said it would be increased to 2000. It's still at 800. And they said that would occur by April May. Well, I've got the big tip to the Prime Minister. It's May 30. Time is up. It still hasn't been implemented. If you fixed up appropriate facilities, then that could be put in place. As has, I haven't seen one complaint for and I've spoken to many people who've been at Howard Springs. I haven't seen one complaint about that facility and we know That that facility has not seen any outbreaks. The 17 outbreaks that we've seen have all been from hotel quarantine. And the federal government, including the Prime Minister are complacent about that. He says, "Well, we've got 99.99% success rate". The truth is that every failure of hotel quarantine has significant consequences for our community, for people's health and for our national economy. And that's why we need to get this right. Last one.
 
JOURNALIST: How concerned are you that the New South Wales Labor party does not have a leader for a number of days?
 
ALBANESE: We went through a process after the after the election, indeed it is the second anniversary of my being elected unopposed. From time to time that occurs? What we've seen under this federal government, indeed, including when Scott Morrison became the leader, that they were leaderless for some time and they were the government. New South Wales Labor will go through its processes. I'm very confident that New South Wales Labor can be competitive by the next election.

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