Tuesday, 8 February 2022

Ministers statements: COVID-19 vaccination

Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (14:37): I am delighted to rise to update the house on the fact that more than 93 per cent of Victorians over 18 have got two doses of the vaccine.

Members interjecting.

Mr ANDREWS: Some can sigh about it. Others are proud of it—and every single Victorian should be. It might be a cause of weariness for some, but let us be very clear: Victorians have done a mighty job, an amazing job, in getting vaccinated. We are not far away, it would seem, from the experts confirming that we need three doses of this vaccine to be protected, to get the maximum level of protection possible. That ATAGI advice—we will wait and see that come in due course, and we will be well served by that advice, I am sure. But if it is a three-dose project rather than just two, then as pleased as we are to see 46 per cent of Victorians having got a third dose, we all have to do more and we all have to do better. That is why difficult decisions have been made quite recently by the Minister for Health in relation to schoolteachers and—never let us forget—school support staff. And we may need to go further than that. Victorians have done an amazing job. This summer has not been the summer that people wanted with the wildly infectious omicron variant—

Members interjecting.

Mr ANDREWS: There is the sigh again. It is a good thing they are not running anything. They could not run a bath, and it is a good thing they are not if this is all ‘Boring, boring’ and ‘I’m a bit tired of all this, I’d much rather play political games’. Political games do not keep people safe, only difficult decisions do, made by people who take their responsibilities seriously and are not bored by the precious gift that has been given to them. That is how you keep people safe. 46 per cent is a good start. We need to go further and we will. I thank every Victorian who has isolated this summer, every Victorian who has got a test this summer, every Victorian who has got a booster this summer and every Victorian who has contributed to nearly 50 per cent of five- to 11-year-olds being vaccinated. Victorians can do anything when they stick together.