Interview with Jayne Azzopardi, Today Show
22 December 2021
JAYNE AZZOPARDI: Good morning to you, Prime Minister. There’s a lot to discuss this morning. But first up, boosters at four months. Will you make that happen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that will be the decision made by the immunisation experts. That's not a decision politicians make. But that, what is necessary is we continue to ramp up the boosters that are being delivered, and that's more than doubled over the course of the last fortnight. We're now back up to around 200,000 vaccines happening - more than that, in fact - every single day, which is great. The next step we have to make is get those state-based hubs back in operations. About a quarter of those were reduced down over the last couple of months as we got through those 80 per cent and more double vaccination rates. And so what's important is we get those state-based hubs back in operation and we’ll be able to keep moving forward on that today. That's a very important part of today's discussion. And the other part is making sure that we have the common sense social measures in place to ensure that, you know, people are taking the right precautions to keep their own health in order with COVID and with Omicron, and that they're protecting those around them, particularly the most vulnerable, which is where we're getting most of the booster shots in at the moment.
AZZOPARDI: The vaccine hubs aren't the only ways the booster shots are delivered, though. You made the point that the GPs and pharmacies were on the frontline.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
AZZOPARDI: They were very important in the first rollout. They're saying that they're struggling to even deliver the boosters to the people who are eligible now. They need more support to be able to make that happen. Can the Federal Government pay them more?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're working through that with them, literally, right now. That's been an issue we've been working with them on over the last week or so, and …
AZZOPARDI: So it’s a possibility you might, you might increase the funding?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course it is.
AZZOPARDI: Ok, great.
PRIME MINISTER: These are exactly the issues we're working through, particularly over this summer period when, you know, many people will be taking leave. We're going to be asking pharmacists and GPs, along with those working in state hubs, to be responding to ensure we can get these booster rates up where they need to be. They already have, I want to stress, though, that they've already lifted substantially. We've gone to more than now 200,000 vaccines a day again, and we need to keep lifting that. The state hubs will be very important to relieve the pressure that is also on the primary care. We've actually increased the number of those in primary care, in pharmacies and in GPs, over the last few months. There's even more of them now. And so if you get the state hubs, on top of that, back in action, then we're really going to be able to respond even more effectively than we have over the last couple of weeks.
But there are many other challenges. I mean, there's the testing issues as well, Jayne, and the requirement for those pre-departure tests into other states is putting tremendous pressure on state testing resources in New South Wales and in Victoria. That's resources that can be also be going towards supporting these vaccine hubs. And so we need to work through some of those issues as well today.
But can I just say on that that modelling, that I know has been reported today, and I just want to exercise some real caution on that. I mean, those those scenarios are worst case scenarios that assume there's no surge capacity in hospitals, that Omicron’s the same as Delta, that no one takes, you know, sensible behavioural responses in what they're doing, there's no change in the booster program - and all of those, one of those, let alone all of them, are completely unlikely. So I wouldn't want to alarm people over that report. That is, that is not what we're actually expecting to happen. There is a range of scenarios. But I would say this - of course the number of Omicron cases will increase. It's highly infectious. But the indications are that it is not as severe, and our hospitals, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, have been coping extremely well.
AZZOPARDI: Would you like to see all premiers, particularly the New South Wales Premier, make mask wearing mandatory?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they’ll they'll be decisions that they take in each of their states and territories. I've spoken to the New South Wales Premier quite regularly because that's where we've seen, obviously, the biggest surge in cases. And, look, practical decisions will be taken there. But, you know, you should be wearing them anyway. I mean, you don't have to wait to be told in this country, and this is the point I was making yesterday. We've all got to be doing sensible things. I mean, it's summer, so we should be trying to maximise where we're meeting people out of doors, not indoors. We should be washing our hands very regularly. We should be wearing masks indoors when we're in public settings, in shopping centres, things like that. We should be doing that. That's the advice. We don't have to mandate people wearing sunscreen and wearing hats in summer. And in the same way, people should be following that health advice about washing their hands, keeping an appropriate distance, particularly when they're indoors, and wearing masks indoors, and especially if you're around older people and vulnerable people. That's just common sense, and I trust the common sense of Australians.
AZZOPARDI: Well, and a lot of Australians are trying to keep themselves and their families safe by going to get tested. They're finding long queues at those testing centres, it's taking a long time to get results. People are then trying to go and get rapid tests and, if they can afford them, they often can't find them. Could you make rapid tests free?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're looking at how that can be done and in what circumstances. But one of the big reasons we've got those queues in Victoria and New South Wales is you've got people who are required to get PCR tests before they travel into other states. Now, that needs to be looked at. I mean, rapid antigen testing in those situations would certainly be a more effective option. And and whether there's a requirement for that at all, on the public health advice that we're receiving, I think that's an issue for discussion. Remember, those those testing clinics should be there for those of close contacts, so we can get sensible responses for those who are close contacts and finding out whether they're infected. But I do want to stress to young people, because that's where we're advised that we're seeing most of the spread of Omicron, and so young people can help protect others in the community just by just being very conscious of the simple, common sense things that they should be doing, particularly at this time of year. It's great to get together. We want people to do that. We've been looking forward to that. But let's just do it in a sensible way and taking the sensible precautions that will help save many others, particularly who are vulnerable and their own relatives, as they go and see them at Christmas.
AZZOPARDI: Back to those rapid tests. You say it's something that will be discussed. But the the industry has said they've been trying to discuss it with you for a while now. When do you think we can get a decision on whether they can be free or subsidised? [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's just not a question of that, Jayne. It's a question of, in what circumstances and for what purposes. I mean, we've been looking at how these would be used in schools, for example, when you're coming back. We're already using them with things like aged care facilities and we need to focus those resources where they're needed most. This is, this is, I think, the real key issue, and making sure that the rules around testing more generally are much more common sense to deal with Omicron. You know, we have to update how we're managing public, what are called public health social measures. They're the things like mask wearing and things like that, as well as where we're required testing and what are the controls on someone who's a close contact or a casual contact, because we are going to see more case numbers and we can't have those case numbers with casual contacts shutting down the whole economy, because then we’ll see people losing their businesses and losing their jobs. And so we need to be calm. We need to be calibrated. We need to think these things through, as we are, and we need to act with the urgency, which we've already demonstrated, by boosting those booster rates up so significantly in the last couple of weeks.
AZZOPARDI: Prime Minister, it feels a bit like we're we’re always behind this, rather than in front of it. Would you agree?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I wouldn't agree. And Australia has the lowest, one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID. We have one of the strongest economies of the advanced countries in the world. And we have one of the highest vaccination rates, and we are the best, one of the best prepared countries to deal, with our health system, with the Omicron Omicron strain. And that is demonstrated when you look at Australia's performance compared to all the other countries. Now, we set high standards for ourselves, Jayne, absolutely. My Government does, all of our, all the governments around the country do. But we just need to keep a cool head. We need to practice sensible measures and we just we need to keep working the problem, as we will keep doing, as we have done throughout the pandemic.
AZZOPARDI: Prime Minister, it's Christmas, so let's finish on a light note. You're heading into an election year. Do you think this Christmas you're on Santa's naughty list or his nice list? And I'd also like to know where you think Anthony Albanese falls?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I’ll let Santa make those decisions.
AZZOPARDI: Oh, come on.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s up to Santa.
AZZOPARDI: Come on.
PRIME MINISTER: That's up to Santa. But I do want to wish all your, all your viewers a very Merry Christmas. And to you too Jayne, and and to David there. And thanks for the opportunities to talk to you over the course of the year, particularly about important issues like this. This is a partnership between the Australian public, between governments, working together to keep Australians safe, to keep our economy strong, and to keep Australians together. And next year there'll be an election. But right now I'm very focused on what we need to do to manage this latest Omicron. I'll still be at my desk over several more weeks yet as we work through this, and working with the officials and others and keeping Australians safe over this very important time.
AZZOPARDI: You even had a politician's answer to my fun question. Prime Minister, I wish you, Jenny and the girls a wonderful Christmas. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Jayne. God bless everyone.
AZZOPARDI: You, too.
