JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO BRISBANE DRIVE
MONDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2021
SUBJECT/S: COVID-19 vaccination passports; Unanswered questions about vaccine rollout; Coalition’s track record of failing to deliver on its commitments; Anthony Albanese’s visit to Far North Queensland; Labor’s Jobs and Industry Taskforce.
STEVE AUSTIN, HOST: Jim Chalmers is the Shadow Treasurer and Labor Member for Rankin. Jim Chalmers, good afternoon.
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Good afternoon to you, Steve.
AUSTIN: What does Labor favour when it comes to travelling? Will you ever be required to have proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or not?
CHALMERS: I think there's a certain logic to it, Steve. We've been pretty constructive, as you know, about these sorts of proposals because we want to make sure that we roll out the vaccine effectively, that as many people as possible are vaccinated and that we keep people safe and healthy. We've got a few questions about how it might work. We've got a few questions about the vaccine rollout more broadly. We're a little bit concerned that when it's come to some of these IT-related projects the government's got not an especially good record, with the COVIDSafe app, and with other big IT projects like the Census. So we're a bit wary of all of that, but overall, let's have a look at what they propose, let's get everyone's questions answered. And if it means that we can keep more people safe and healthy then obviously we'll be positive and constructive about that.
AUSTIN: The UK has pointedly pointed out that it's a clear breach of multiple human rights, and they're not going to have some sort of COVID-19 passport. The EU says health concerns override them. So Labor prefers the European Union model?
CHALMERS: Well, it's one of the questions that people have got but I think we've been pretty forward-leaning on these sorts of things. There's those questions, there’s questions around how the system will work, there's some questions around the IT for the broader vaccine rollout - you know what if you don't have a regular GP, how do you book an appointment - there's a whole bunch of unanswered questions.
AUSTIN: The fundamental is if you can't prove on a government app or passport, you've had the vaccination, you will not be allowed to leave the country, you'll go to another country, that's what I'm getting to?
CHALMERS: Yeah, I understand, Steve. I guess what I'm saying is, that's one of the legitimate questions and concerns that people will raise. It’s an idea in its infancy.
AUSTIN: But Labor doesn't think it’s a problem?
CHALMERS: Well, unfortunately we don't even have people getting vaccinated yet, so our highest priority needs to be that. Other countries have vaccinated millions and millions of their citizens, we are well behind, so that's the highest priority. But if there's a workable system that relates to travel and making sure that as many people as possible are vaccinated, then I would have thought that's a good thing. We haven't had a discussion at our end about it. We haven't had some of these legitimate questions answered, but I would have thought one of the issues around travel is checking to see whether or not people are vaccinated. I wouldn't have thought that's too much to ask.
AUSTIN: One of the reasons why we don't have a vaccine rollout is the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the qualified people, are still assessing it. And as everyone knows there are some significant question marks over some of the different vaccines, like the effectiveness of the vaccine to the South African strain, there’s also a UK strain, in other words, you're not being critical of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, I assume, or are you?
CHALMERS: No I’m not. They have cleared one kind of vaccine, and others not yet, but where we are critical is that a lot of other countries signed a lot of deals, they had a lot of irons in the fire, quite early. The government said that we're at the front of the queue, but it's become incredibly obvious since then that we are nowhere near the front of the queue. You look around the world, and other countries have got big chunks of their population already vaccinated. So, we are a bit critical about how the government has managed all of this. The recovery in the economy, the recovery in our communities and in our society more broadly, hangs a lot on the government's ability to deploy this vaccine. They said that they'd have 4 million done by March, already we're heading towards the middle of February. And one of the reasons we are a bit behind is because they didn't do enough deals quickly enough and other countries did. So, you know, the government brags about how well we're doing, but it doesn't take much googling to see that, you look around the world, and others are doing much better than we are.
AUSTIN: My guest is Jim Chalmers, Shadow Treasurer and Labor Member for Rankin, here in Queensland. This is ABC Radio Brisbane. The AstraZeneca vaccine has had its rollout in South Africa paused. Greg Hunt, our Health Minister, was playing that down today, saying they don't have the same level of concern. Is there a concern from Labor that we are rushing vaccines onto the market, given that there seems to be question marks arising about their effectiveness in different countries around the world, Jim Chalmers?
CHALMERS: No, I think that when you're dealing with a pandemic of this magnitude and researchers and pharmaceutical companies are more or less sprinting to get good product onto the market, I think most people expect that there will be detours, and missteps, and retesting, and all of those sorts of things. I don't think anybody expects it to be entirely smooth. But what does matter, is the broader the base that you can have for the number of vaccines that you have, the different companies, the different types of vaccines, the more you kind of insure yourself against some of these diversions and issues as they're worked out. And once again, we haven't as a country, because of the government's actions, had enough irons in the fire. We only had, typically, I think, three or so deals going on at any one time. Whereas other countries have got a broader base, so that if you do have one or other vaccine, which requires some kind of pause or some kind of rethinking, then you've got a lot of other options. And we don't have a lot of options here. One of the reasons why other countries are galloping ahead of us is because they do.
AUSTIN: My guest is Jim Chalmers. So, is it a false sense of security, about the vaccine? The vaccine does not stop you getting COVID-19. And it does not stop COVID-19 being transmitted. It just simply gives you a better ability to fight it if you catch it. It doesn't stop transmission. And it doesn't stop you getting it?
CHALMERS: I would have thought having the capacity to fight it's a pretty handy tool in the arsenal, it’s nothing something to be sneezed at (if you kind of pardon the pun!).
AUSTIN: Absolutely! My point, the core of my questioning is about having vaccine as a prevention for travel or movement. And I'm coming back to this point. Today the Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox has warned the States against the use of vaccine certificates as de facto passports for cross border travel. Now, Government Services Minister, Stuart Robert, said on the weekend that vaccination certificates were accessible from the Medicare app and through accounts on MyGov, but I'm trying to sort of tie you down to exactly what Labor’s position is and all you're telling me is you're critical of the government not rolling out vaccines fast enough?
CHALMERS: Well, I think I've told you a few different ways, Steve, that there are some legitimate questions about the passport, but we've tried to be constructive about it. And if the government can come to a workable model, taking into account all the form they've got on stuffing up these big projects, then we'd be open-minded to it. And I think it is important that we get as many people vaccinated as possible. I think the travel element of this is really important, as we think about trying to emerge from the extreme difficulty of the last year or so. So if the government says they want to go down this path, we'll be constructive about it, but there are questions Innes Willox and others have about it and they should be answered. There are questions around the other issues you raised earlier, that the UK is going through. All legitimate questions. Let's have them answered. At the moment there are more questions than there are answers.
AUSTIN: Alright, I’ll move on. My guest is Jim Chalmers. Anthony Albanese’s in Queensland on a tour. Will you be joining him at all?
CHALMERS: I will. I think I’m spending a big chunk of the next three days with Anthony in Queensland. He's already spent a considerable amount of time in Far North Queensland, where I was, I think, the week before last. And we've spoken about some of the extreme economic difficulties up there. And he's been meeting with workers, and businesses, and industry groups up there, with a couple of colleagues of mine Milton Dick, and Nita Green, and our Jobs Taskforce. It’s a really important visit from Anthony Albanese, but it's not the first time he's been here. As the former Minister for Infrastructure and Local Government and Tourism, he doesn't just know these highways and backroads, in many cases he funded them as a Minister. He's back in Queensland, that's a terrific thing. The focus is on jobs. And the message is that, in lots of ways, the coalition takes Queensland for granted, but we are genuinely on the side of Queenslanders. And that means understanding where they're coming from, and that's why he's here.
AUSTIN: Thanks for your time, Jim Chalmers.
CHALMERS: Thank you, Steve.
ENDS
