[Theme Music Starts]

RUBY:

From Schwartz Media, I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am.
After riding high in the opinion polls for the last 12 months, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, is now facing the consequences of a slow and messy vaccine rollout. To try and claw back public support, the Prime Minister is attempting to tap into the country’s Olympic spirit, describing our vaccine challenge as a “gold medal” race.
Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno, on the intertwined fates of the vaccine rollout and the Prime Minister’s popularity...

It’s Friday August 6.

RUBY:

Paul, when we spoke last week, we kicked things off with a metaphor about the Olympics and this week the Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, used one of those while he was addressing his party room. So do you think he listens to the show, Paul?

PAUL:

Well, Ruby, I do know that 7am is regularly listened to in the corridors of power, but I can't confirm whether or not it's a habit of the Nationals leader. But you're right, he did employ an Olympics metaphor this week in the first coalition joint party room meeting since parliament's winter break. Pandemic lockdowns in New South Wales and Queensland meant the numbers were substantially depleted, strict Covid protocols were being followed, everyone wearing masks and socially distanced by two square metres in the cavernous, almost empty great hall. And I have to tell you, the mood was grim given the hole the government has fallen into.

Archival tape -- Olympics arena atmosphere

PAUL:

Joyce took his inspiration from track star Peter Bol’s win in his 800 metres semi-final heat in Tokyo. The DPM said the place you win a race from is at the end using tactics.

Archival tape -- Unidentified Reporter:

“Suruni comes to the outside, Bol’s in second spot, moves up alongside Erop, then come Etoile, Bol’s there for the moment, Etoile coming at him, Peter Bol, 1968 the last time we’ve had a finalist in the 800,
hang on Peter, he’s going to… he’s into the final! Yes! He has won the semifinal in 1:44.11…”

PAUL:

He explained the Australian athlete made his move 80 metres from the end, and he said that's how the government would win the political race therein to the election. And the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, used a similar sporting analogy. He said ‘good teams know how to win when they're behind’, keeping on with the football imagery, Morrison said, ‘we are a good team and good teams know how to win when they're behind in the heavy weather on a hard and muddy track’. That's how you know you're a good team.

RUBY:

OK, so really tapping into the Olympic spirit there. So how is the race or the game or whatever analogy it is that you want to use actually going, Paul?

PAUL:

Well, having spent the first months of this year assuring Australians that the vaccine rollout wasn't a race, Morison's now in the race of his political life.

Archival tape -- Scott Morrison:

“Gold, gold, gold. That's what has happened today. It's something for all Australians to celebrate. And I know that really lifts the spirits of Australians right across the country…”

PAUL:

He's desperately trying to make up for Australia's incredibly slow start in terms of vaccinations by talking about the gold medal run, we’re apparently all now in.

Archival tape -- Scott Morrison:

“What we want to do is make sure we hit these targets, set these targets right. And then all of Australia, like our Olympians, we go for gold on getting those vaccination rates where we need to go…”

PAUL:

On Monday, in an exclusive opinion piece for The Australian, Morrison said we now need 70 percent of our population aged over 16 vaccinated to start saying goodbye to lockdowns. And he ended that opinion piece by saying, our Olympians in Tokyo have given us the perfect inspiration to get this done.

RUBY:

Mm hmm. Okay. So does this vaccination target, does it seem likely or even possible?

PAUL:

Well, the government's vaccine distribution supremo, General John Frewen, is confident he can hit the 70 percent mark by the end of the year.

Archival tape -- John Frewen:

Mathematically, we can get there. I think we'll have the supply, we'll have the distribution nodes. But it really is about people in Australia coming forward and coming forward with some urgency to get vaccinated...

PAUL:

He says it's mathematically possible. Clearly it is, if the belated order of vaccines actually begin arriving.

Archival tape -- John Frewen:

“When we wargame the plan initially with the states and territories, we looked at major distributions to supply, major setbacks to public confidence. You know, major, even say, ATAGI shifts in guidance around vaccines. So this plan is inherently flexible…”

PAUL:

...and few, if any, in the government party room think even the miracle performing Morrison can win the next election if the rollout hasn't hit 80 percent and life has returned to something approaching what used to be normal before Australians vote. And their apprehension was vindicated by the latest Essential poll, which showed a dramatic slump in support for Morrison's handling of the pandemic. In March, the poll found his net approval - the positives over the negatives - was plus 58. Now it's just plus 3. So the slow rollout is finally taking its political toll on Morrison and creating opportunity for the Labour opposition, which it seized at the start of the week.

RUBY:

We'll be back in a moment.

[Advertisement]

RUBY:

Paul, tell me about what we heard from Labor this week, their suggested plan to increase vaccination rates.

PAUL:

Well, Ruby, on the eve of parliament resuming and armed with figures showing that vaccination uptake is dividing along socioeconomic lines, Anthony Albanese proposed a cash incentive of 300 dollars for everyone who's already received or is willing to receive a double dose by December one.

Archival tape -- Anthony Albanese:

“We need to use every means at our disposal to maximise the take up of the vaccines…”

PAUL:

The issue is obviously of most concern in Sydney's west and south west, the epicentre of the worsening Delta outbreak, these areas account for the lowest vaccination rates in New South Wales.

Archival tape -- Anthony Albanese:

“The plan released by the Prime Minister last Friday has in it support for economic incentives or incentives in Phase B…”

PAUL:

The idea has a lot of merit. Australia uses cash incentives to encourage all sorts of behaviour, and Morrison and Fruen are both on the record supporting the idea of lottery prizes or other benefits to get people vaccinated as soon as possible.

RUBY:

Okay, so what kind of response did Labour's plan get then?

Archival tape -- Unidentified Speaker:

"Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the government roll up its sleeve in the race to vaccinate the nation and adopt Labour's proposal for a one-off three hundred dollar payment…”

PAUL:

Well, when Albanese asked the Prime Minister in Parliament if he would adopt Labour's proposal, the Prime Minister said it was a bad idea.

Archival tape -- The Speaker:

“The Prime Minister has the call.”

Archival tape -- Scott Morrison:

Well, thank you, Mr Speaker, I, I will respond by making reference to Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases expert, Mr Speaker, who said this about the leader of the opposition's plan. This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea, Mr Speaker...

PAUL:

He quoted infectious disease expert Dr Peter Collignon, but he didn’t go on to quote Collignon’s view that the main issue, quote, was not enough vaccine rather than hesitancy.

Archival tape -- Scott Morrison:

“The leader of the opposition's proposal is a vote of no confidence and an insult to Australians suggesting they won't get vaccinated unless you dole out the cash. Mr Speaker, that is an insult…”

PAUL:

The Prime Minister bellowed that Albanese's proposal was an insult to Australians. But, you know, when he was Social Security minister, Morrison himself legislated a no jab, no pay policy, withholding family benefit payments to parents who didn't vaccinate their children.

Archival tape --Unidentified Speaker:

“And at the time, he said it was in his second reading speech. He said it was because of the need to increase the immunisation rates amongst children. So it's extraordinary that this government, this government had just rejected what is a constructive idea…”

PAUL:

Now, somehow, Morrison tried to claim this was not an incentive to influence people's behaviour - work that out! He railed against Labour's tax splashes of their last ‘untargeted, ill-disciplined fiscal recklessness’ in the GFC and said the Labour Party had learned absolutely nothing.

RUBY:

Right. Okay, so Scott Morrison is opposing this suggestion to pay people 300 dollars to get the vaccine. And that's despite his government using similar economic incentives for vaccinations in the past. So is the problem then how expensive this plan would be? Because I imagine paying everyone in the country three hundred dollars each would end up costing quite a lot?

PAUL:

Well, the total cost of the plan is six billion dollars...

Archival tape --Unidentified Speaker:

“If 100 percent got the jab, it would be six billion. For 80 percent, the figure that the government's aiming at, the figure would be around about five billion. But that compares, Lisa, with the costs of these lockdowns…”

PAUL:

But Labour says not only is it a good incentive to get vaccinated, but it's also a stimulus for the economy that will flow through to businesses badly hit by the recurring and lengthy lockdowns.

Archival tape --Unidentified Speaker:

“So providing this reward, this three hundred dollar payment, would help to support jobs and economic activity when it's really needed in the lead up to Christmas.”

PAUL:

As Sydneysiders especially know, the pandemic and its economic havoc are far from over. And I'm sure Melburnians and Brisbanites would be in furious agreement on that.

RUBY:

So do you think that the government will ever adopt the plan or some version of it, Paul? Because it seems like we should really be considering everything in order to get vaccination rates as high as possible...

PAUL:

Well, Morrison's response was pretty blunt, his performance, I have to say, on the first sitting day was ragged and nasty. Clearly, Albanese's focus on the government's Achilles heel of the inadequate vaccine purchase and distribution rankled. The Prime Minister accused the Labour leader of thought bubbles without thought. But other liberals were more cautious in their response. Finance Minister, Simon Birmingham, went on Sky News and criticised the Albanese cash incentive for not being needed now. But under questioning, he conceded if the rollout stalls later, something like it might be needed. And some on the liberal backbench suspect Albanese's cash splash was under active consideration by the government anyway, and the Labour leader was being cheekily pre-emptive. Albanese says Morrison's record in the pandemic is to act consistently too late and with responses, especially this year, that are too little. The Labour leader says he wouldn't be surprised if Morrison picks it up in a month's time and claims it as his own. What is certain, Rubi, is if the rollout doesn't recover on the new timeline, no one will be surprised at what a desperate Morrison would do to save his bacon.

RUBY:

Paul, thank you so much for your time. It's a pleasure racing to the finish line of every week with you.

PAUL:

[Laughs] Thank you, Ruby. Bye.

[Advertisement]

RUBY:

Also in the news today…

Victoria has gone into its sixth lockdown. The seven day, strict lockdown was announced after the state recorded eight new local coronavirus cases, many of which were unlinked.
In NSW, another five people have died due to Covid-19 as the state recorded 262 new local cases of the virus on Thursday. It’s the highest number of local cases ever reported in NSW in a 24-hour period.

And Hillsong founder and pastor, Brian Houston, has been charged for allegedly concealing child sexual abuse committed by his late father Frank Houston. NSW Police have alleged that Houston knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s, and failed to bring that information to the attention of Police.

7am is a daily show from The Monthly and The Saturday Paper. It’s produced by Elle Marsh, Michelle Macklem, Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and Anu Hasbold.

Our senior producer is Ruby Schwartz and our technical producer is Atticus Bastow.

Brian Campeau mixes the show. Our editor is Osman Faruqi. Erik Jensen is our editor-in-chief.

Our theme music is by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan of Envelope Audio.

I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am. Have a great weekend everyone.