Bill Shorten describes the government’s vaccine rollout as a ‘s**tshow’ on live TV
Bill Shorten #BillShorten
Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has blasted the federal government’s vaccine rollout, labelling it a “s**tshow” and “a mess” on national television.
The government is frantically working to bring supplies of Pfizer forward as NSW grapples with a coronavirus outbreak and hesitancy around the AstraZeneca jab continues.
Reports also emerged last night that former prime minister Kevin Rudd was called on by senior businessmen in the US to speak with Pfizer chief Dr Albert Bourla to try and increase Australia’s Pfizer supplies.
The report, from ABC’s 7.30, published a letter Mr Rudd wrote to Mr Morrison, following his meeting with Dr Bourla, that said he was doing so as a “concerned citizen” and not acting on the government’s behalf.
Health Minister Greg Hunt shrugged off suggestions Mr Rudd had helped bring forward hundreds of thousands of doses of Pfizer next month, saying he had “chuckled” at the ABC report.
Appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing today, Mr Shorten said he was “sure” Mr Rudd’s call with Dr Bourla helped Australia.
“We hear too many reports of the government being complacent about securing vaccination contracts … Everyone’s been saying that we need more Pfizer. So I’m pleased that Kevin, he’s just doing what a million of us would like to do which is just get a hurry on to get more vaccines to Australia,” Mr Shorten said.
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Continuing his rant against the federal government, Mr Shorten said Prime Minister Scott Morrison “has a reputation for being one of the most hands-off prime ministers since Federation”.
“He had a reputation for being a marketer and his public health marketing is atrocious,” he said.
“Let me say, for the record, as a politician, the vaccine rollout in Australia is a s**tshow. It is just a mess.”
Afternoon Briefing host Patricia Karvelas was quick to pull Mr Shorten up on the s-bomb.
“You’ve just sworn on national television,” she said.
“I think I’ve said what about 25 million other people, adults think,” Mr Shorten hit back.
“I won’t school you on how to speak. You can choose your words as you choose,” Karvelas replied.
A statement from Pfizer today said all contractual agreements on vaccine supply had only been done between the Australian government and the pharmaceutical company.
“Recent media reports suggesting that any third party or individual has had any role in contractual agreements reached between Pfizer and the Australian government are inaccurate,” a Pfizer spokeswoman said.
Mr Shorten said he believed the Pfizer statement was a way of ridding itself of any potential drama.
“I think that Pfizer must be thinking, ‘Who the hell is running Australia?’ If we believe the media reports from several sources, Pfizer were nonplussed by the Australian Government’s attitude last year to negotiating more Pfizer vaccines,” he said.
“I reckon Pfizer might be tempted to give us our vaccines just to shut us up and forget about us.”