Prime Minister
KARL STEFANOVIC: Joining me now is Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney. PM, good morning to you. Thanks for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: G'day Karl.
STEFANOVIC: OK, 300,000 extra vaccines for Western Sydney. A million a week for the rest of the country. Where did you magically conjure those from?
PRIME MINISTER: We've been working with Pfizer now for quite some period of time to bring forward our supplies, and I commend Minister Hunt and Professor Murphy and Lieutenant General Frewen for the great job we've been doing there to get those supplies brought forward. That means we've gone from 1.7 million in June, 2.8 million this month and we'll rise to a million a week from the 19th of July, and we'll get to 4.5 million a month, next month. So, that's ramping up. We've got 1,300 extra GPs coming on line this month to deliver the Pfizer vaccines specifically, and so we are really hitting our marks now, Karl. I know we've had challenges over the course of the last four months but we're hitting those marks now. We keep this pace up, we get there. So it really is the national effort to get there.
STEFANOVIC: So, that's a rolled gold guaranteed supply, no issues?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, Pfizer's supply to us, all the way through, what they've said they'll deliver, they've delivered. And, you know, we're still working in a global market where there's a lot of strains, and they confirmed those supplies. I can tell you, every time Pfizer said they're going to deliver something, they have. Now, clearly we didn't have that AstraZeneca early on in the rollout, and there was three million vaccines that set us right back. But, we're making up those, that time now, and we're hitting those marks we need to hit now. And, so we keep that up Australia, we get this thing done.
STEFANOVIC: OK, and we'll be done by those calculations around Christmas, we should all be right, right?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, we should be able to achieve that, pending everything, you know, the supplies being maintained, and there being no other medical advice, which we've seen disrupt in the past. But, at this point, we're not seeing that ahead and so we can get this done by the end of the year. That's what General Frewen advises me, and so we've just got to work together to get that done.
STEFANOVIC: That's significant news. Let's talk your home town now. You can understand why those in the south-west are frustrated when the police force is hitting the streets in numbers to prevent what we saw in the east last week. It's being called racist and heavy-handed by some. Sydney, PM, is not in this together right now.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think we are in this together, and we've seen these sorts of responses in other states. We certainly saw it in Victoria last year when we were dealing with similar challenges. And, the police are there simply just to help with the compliance and to provide assistance. Those decisions are being made operationally to support the arrangements that are being put in place, and they're made, and the judgments are being made by professional police officers. So, look, that's what's needed, and it's important that that's understood in good faith. And, everyone's doing the best they can, including our police, and everyone in the community, we've got to work together to come through this, Sydney. As a fellow Sydneysider, I, you Karl, we're all subject to those rules and we all need to comply with them, because the virus doesn't walk by itself. People carry it from one to another. And, so, it's important, particularly people might think a family event is innocent, or I'm just going round to see Nanna or whatever. Well, as much as you want to see Nanna, and it's lovely to see Nanna, and she wants to see you, at the moment it's not safe for Nanna, specifically, but more broadly, for those family gatherings at this time.
STEFANOVIC: If you live in those south-western parts of Sydney, though, when you saw what happened in the east and you saw a very different approach to them now, you can't help but feel that it's skewed in the wrong way.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think it would be an unfair conclusion to draw on the behalf of the police to suggest anything other than them just trying to do their job and respond to the situation as it's emerging. I mean, we're dealing with a much more serious situation now than was envisaged a couple of weeks ago, and the situation is escalating and, you know, people are just got to do their jobs and we've got to do our job - that is the public of Sydney - in ensuring that we comply with those orders. The problem, we've had a real problem with compliance, and we've got to together sort that out.
STEFANOVIC: OK, some anonymous - and can there be anything more cowardly than anonymous - New South Wales Ministers are contemplating living with COVID, as in, right now, before vaccinations are rolled out. Do you support, without any compromise this morning, this lockdown returning to local transmission to zero?
PRIME MINISTER: If that's what's needed in this suppression phase, and if that's what the State Government does, then, of course. I mean, we are still in the suppression phase. We were always going to still be in the suppression phase now.
STEFANOVIC: So, what would you say to those Ministers?
PRIME MINISTER: To come into line with the Premier. That is the public health advice I'm receiving, and I'm quite certain that's the public health advice that she's receiving. And, in the discussions I've had with New South Wales Cabinet Ministers, that hasn't been relayed to me. So, I don't know who, what these reports relate to. But, I believe that's what will happen in New South Wales. The Government in New South Wales I think has shown a great resolve and they have led the country in so many ways over the course of this past 18 months. And, New South Wales, but the virus doesn't respect our records here, and all it does is seek to have its way, and in Sydney we're in a vulnerable position right now. And, it's very important that all of us do what we can to comply with these arrangements. But, we have to get those case numbers down. And, at this stage, this year, we always knew in every state and territory that we would still be in a suppression phase. And, there's only one country, two countries in the world, that has got above 60 per cent vaccination at this time and that's the United Kingdom and Israel, and Israel, of course, is a very small country. And, even in the United Kingdom, even in London, I stress, in London the vaccination rates are actually, I think, I understand it, below 60 per cent. So, it's a tough job to get that done, and so we need to keep vigilance.
STEFANOVIC: OK. The rest of the country, as you would know, is crying foul on these 300,000 vaccinations you found for Sydney. It does rile them, especially in Melbourne, that you suddenly found them.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, in Melbourne we provided 150,000 additional doses when they were going through this exact same challenge, and we've always had those additional AstraZeneca. So, there was 150,000 Pfizer that we sent to Victoria, and we've doubled that down with AstraZeneca here because we know, particularly in the affected areas, Karl, we've got just shy of 70,000 people aged over 60 who have already had their first AstraZeneca dose. We want them to come back and get their second one. And, the medical advice says that you can do that, certainly from eight to 12 weeks, and given the risk of people contracting COVID in those areas, it's important they now go and get that dose as soon as they possibly can. So, they're not getting any less than they were going to get, that they'd been planned to receive. So, they can keep going on with the program as they have it. But, in New South Wales that's where the medical need is now, and obviously that's where the priority should be given, as it was in Victoria.
STEFANOVIC: Couple of quick ones, we're running out of time. Aged care workers, I still can't fathom how they still aren't all vaccinated. Why not?
PRIME MINISTER: It's a challenging area. But, we need those mandatory rules in place. I'll be discussing that again with the premiers today at National Cabinet. We agreed to do it. We need to get those public health orders in place. The Commonwealth will be supporting those public health orders by ensuring the compliance side of that, and reporting that back to the states. I've written to the premiers that, they'll receive that letter today, which gives that assurance again about …
STEFANOVIC: It must be frustrating for you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's terribly frustrating. I mean, we've just got to get on and make these rules. I mean, many states I believe will do it. But, I don't want to get into the individual states. I'm just looking for them to all come together and do what they said they'd do, which is ensure we're all working together to get those aged care workers. Now, it's just shy of about 50 per cent, where we are now. It's just a bit over 40, I understand. But, it has to be a lot higher than that. But, can I say this Karl - if you have a family member who's going into a residential aged care facility, then please ensure that they're vaccinated before they go in. Every single aged care facility in the country has had two visits for two doses. So, if you've got a family member going in, then please make sure that they're being vaccinated before they go into that environment. In the aged care facilities, they should be asking that question. But, please make sure that you're taking care of your family by ensuring they're vaccinated before they go into a residential aged care facility.
STEFANOVIC: A lot going on. PM, thanks for your time as always. Appreciate it.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot, Karl.