Interview with Karl Stefanovic and the Hon. Richard Marles MP, the Today Show

Subjects: AstraZeneca vaccine; ADF assistance in Victoria; two-way travel arrangement.  

KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Minister for Defence Peter Dutton and Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles join me now. Good morning guys. Thank you for being with us. Pete, to you first of all, you’ve now chopped and changed the rules around AstraZeneca. Do you actually know what you’re doing? 
 
PETER DUTTON: 

Morning guys. Well Karl, we’ve listened to the medical advice from day one and that’s exactly what we should continue to do. There are other countries around the world that are administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people much younger, but the advice of our experts here obviously changed yesterday, but their advice is very clear in relation to those people who have had the first jab and not had an adverse reaction, that there should be no doubt about them getting the second jab. That’s incredibly important, particularly for people over the age of 70 and that advice we adhere to. Doctors around the country are saying exactly that, and people should talk to their GP. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Do you concede though that this is going to lead to confidence issues? 
 
PETER DUTTON: 

Well Karl, it will lead to confidence issues if we keep talking it down. If we had an experience like Canada or the United Kingdom or the United States where your 70-year-old neighbour or your 70-year-old mother or friend has passed away because of COVID, then in those countries people are rushing to get vaccinated. In our country, understandably because we haven’t had the deaths – tragically 910 people have died in our country and that’s a terrible number – but it’s no where near the 23,000 for example in Canada. 

So we need to make sure that we heed the medical advice and the medical advice has been consistent and clear from day one; that is, that people need to get the vaccination and the medical advice is based on the experience, and the experience now is very clear that the adverse reaction in relation to AstraZeneca on my understanding, has been in relation to the first jab… And that if people have had the first jab and they haven’t had an adverse reaction, then the very clear medical advice is that they should get the second jab because the consequences particularly the older you are, particularly if you have comorbidities, that if you contract the virus then the outcome can lead to death. Let’s be very clear about it. 

We haven’t seen a lot in our country, as we point out, but if the virus has an outbreak and we see what we’ve seen in Europe take place in Australia, then people would be in a much better position to deal with that if they had the vaccination. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Look, the medical advice has been clear, but the goal posts keep shifting, that’s the issue. Richard, the rate of blood clots is estimated at around six cases per million AstraZeneca shots. I mean this vaccine saved the UK. Does Labor need to take a chill pill on this? 
 
RICHARD MARLES: 

Well there are two issues Karl. There is the medical advice, and what Peter has just said in relation to that is absolutely correct. The medical advice we can rely upon and those who have already had the jab – I’m in this category – should be getting their second dose. But the second issue is the way in which the Government has rolled out the vaccine from day one and it’s our job to criticise the Government in relation to that, and they deserve criticism, because the truth is that they’ve stuffed it up. 

Last year they bet the house on AstraZeneca being able to do all the work in relation to vaccinating the country and given what medical advice has now ensued, it’s turned out that that’s not going to happen. And ultimately, you know, the bulk of the vaccines are going to come from orders which weren’t lodged until this year. I mean that has left us at a point where we’re not at the front of the queue; we’re right at the back of the queue. 

When you look at what’s played out in Victoria, when you look at the cases that are coming up in Sydney, we are going to be living the land of the lockdown until we get vaccinated and that is on the Federal Government to make sure that happens. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Okay. Richard, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too, with respect. If the rollout had been faster like Labor wanted, more over 50s would have had the vaccine now deemed unsafe for that age group. 
 
RICHARD MARLES: 

That’s not the point Karl. The point is this: last year – and we were making this point last year – in the midst of their self-congratulation, the Government was complacent in the various queues that it placed Australia in, in terms of the various vaccine projects around the world. And so it wasn’t until the beginning of this year that we’re ordering the quantity of doses of Pfizer which will enable us to get there. It wasn’t until this year that we even got in the queue of Moderna. Our point last year – and we were making it last year – was that they needed to hedge their bets and be in a whole lot more queues of vaccine projects than what they did. In fact, they bet the house really on one doing the bulk of the work and as it’s turned out, now their vaccine rollout is in disarray – and that is on them. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Okay. I want shift attention if I can to… 
 
PETER DUTTON: 

…don’t forget that Labor…

KARL STEFANOVIC: 

…sorry Pete, you’re on delay; it’s a bit difficult. Can we talk about the Dandenongs because we’re running out of time. Yesterday I spoke to you about the ADF going into the Dandenongs, about that support being offered to the Victorian Government. They’re still going through what they’ve been going through for the last week and they’ve got another three weeks. Will the ADF go in? 
 
PETER DUTTON: 

Well Karl, we’ve been very clear the ADF is on standby and prepared to go and provide whatever assistance is requested. I don’t understand why the Acting Premier in Victoria hasn’t pulled the trigger on that. 

They’ve asked for five logisticians. They’ve taken up their positions immediately and the ADF stands ready to provide support. There are families who are in a dreadful situation, as you’ve reported, since the start of this and we’ve been very clear, the Acting Prime Minister has been very clear to Mr Merlino in Victoria, that the ADF will provide whatever assistance is needed to help get Victorians through a very difficult time, but so far the Victorians believe that they can take care of it themselves, and we’re ready to help as soon as they request it. 

KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Richard, I can’t fathom how the Victorian Government wouldn’t want the help that Pete is offering. It’s a Labor Government there. I mean have you thought about picking up the phone and saying, “Hey, these people need help. Let’s let the ADF come in”? 
 
RICHARD MARLES: 

Well the ADF have obviously very impressive capability which can be used in moments like this. The way the system works when the ADF is doing civil help is that the request needs to be made by the various state governments. So that’s where this lies. But, you know, I think the Australian Defence Force does have capability that it can help here. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Okay, and finally guys, coming to you from New Zealand, we’ve headed across the ditch to take advantage of our travel bubble. Pete, will anymore be opening up any time soon? 
 
PETER DUTTON: 

I hope so Karl – this delay’s fun as you say – but it’s good to see you guys out and about. Hopefully Singapore is the next cab off the rank. There’s been a pretty amazing response by the Singaporean Government as well to COVID and they’re very open to a two-way travel arrangement. We’re working through that at the moment, but it’s obviously worked well with New Zealand and I hope that we can expand it as soon as possible. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Good on you mate. Thank you. And Richard, you’d love it over here; it’s a leftie paradise. 
 
RICHARD MARLES: 

Well Karl, enjoy Queenstown. I can recommend the Botswana Butchery. 
 
PETER DUTTON: 

He’s only a leftie on some days Karl. 
 
RICHARD MARLES: 

That is a place Karl you would love. You can get a steak, a heavy shiraz. It is literally a time machine back to a long lunch from the 1980s. 
 
KARL STEFANOVIC: 

Yeah, I love it. Love it. Good luck guys. Thank you for that. Appreciate it. See you next week.

[Ends]