Prime Minister Scott Morrison cannot continue 'hiding under the doona' when it comes to Australia's slow vaccine rollout program, according to Labor frontbencher Stephen Jones.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison cannot continue "hiding under the doona" when it comes to Australia's slow vaccine rollout program, according to Labor frontbencher Stephen Jones. Australia's vaccine rollout has been marred by problems with the global supply chain coupled with vaccine hesitancy. The government had been hoping to have 4 million people inoculated by March and have all of Australia vaccinated by October, a target the Coalition now concedes it will not meet.
Without a fully vaccinated population, states are vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks, such as what is occurring right now in Victoria. Shadow Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones told Sky News the prime minister needs to take ownership of the country's COVID strategy. "This is a national problem, we need national support and national leadership here," he said.
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Australia needs to help South Pacific or else ‘China will’ | Sky News AustraliaAustralia needs to open up funds and assist the lagging economies in the South Pacific otherwise communist China will go there “with a big fat cheque book” which means more threats, according to Sky News host James Morrow.\n\n“I do think there is something worthwhile in really engaging with a lot of these Pacific economies; if we don’t China will,” he said.\n\n“We’ve got to keep those economies going, ticking over, because otherwise China’s going to come in there with a big fat cheque book, and that’s going to come with a lot of obligations and a lot of threats to Australia.”
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China relationship a top priority for Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting | Sky News AustraliaDiffering relationships with China are expected to be a top priority when Prime Minister Scott Morrison meets his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern on Monday for the leaders’ meeting.\n\nMr Morrison offered some remarks ahead of the event.\n\n“Our partnership here with New Zealand will focus on key issues like regional security and important topics like biosecurity,” he said. \n\n“There are the regional security issues for a free and open Indo-Pacific, we’re Five Eyes partners.\n\n“We have been alongside each other in favouring a world that favours freedom for a very long time, so we’ll have the opportunity to talk through those issues and how we can each reinforce our joint efforts to ensure a free and independent Indo-Pacific'.\n\nWhen asked specifically if his visit was because New Zealand’s “soft approach” to China was “splintering” the relationship, Mr Morrison downplayed the trip.\n\n“This is an annual leaders’ dialogue, we meet every year, and we work through the issues that are part of that very successful partnership, whether it’s the economic partnership or the security partnership,” he said.\n\nMr Morrison also said a travel bubble beyond Australia and New Zealand was a “real possibility”.
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Liberal Senator calls for ombudsman and a ‘proper review’ into ABC | Sky News AustraliaLiberal Senator Alex Antic has called for both a comprehensive review into the ABC and the establishment of a standing ombudsman for the public broadcaster.\n\nThe ABC has once again come under fire at Senate Estimates for perceived bias and contraventions of its charter in terms of impartiality.\n\nSenator Antic posed questions to ABC’s Managing Director David Anderson over potential biases including those featured in the national broadcaster’s coverage of the recent Hamas-Israel conflict.\n\nThe ABC “swings to the favour” of the terrorist organisation Hamas and is “institutionally anti-Semitic” in its coverage of the ongoing conflict, Senator Antic said during Senate Estimates.\n\nHe told Sky News the consistent complaining from government MPs and Senators won’t change the inherent flaws in the public broadcaster.\n\n“I think the starting point is a proper review of the ABC,” he said.\n\n“We haven’t really had a proper deep dive into the ABC since about 1983. We need to get back to that”.\n\nSenator Antic also suggested an ombudsman specifically for the public broadcaster.\n\n“Every other public body seems to have an ombudsman. A place where people can properly and accountably take their complaints and they get acted on.”\n
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‘Unashamedly Marxist’ founder of BLM resigns | Sky News AustraliaThe founder of BLM who “identifies as a trained Marxist” has resigned from her post at the unashamedly anti-capitalist group to focus on her book and TV deals, says Sky News host Rita Panahi.\n\nPatrisse Cullors was one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter and had been with the organisation for six years.\n\nMs Cullors had “accumulated an impressive multi-million-dollar property portfolio” and the organisation enjoyed support from corporations, despite both her and BLM professing an “unashamedly Marxist” point of view.\n
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John Cena makes the ‘most sickening apology you’ll see all year’ | Sky News AustraliaSky News host Rita Panahi says Hollywood actor John Cena’s delivered the “most sickening” apology of the year after committing the “great sin” of calling Taiwan a country.\n\n“You might wonder what inspired that grovelling apology, what did he do that was so wrong?” Ms Panahi said.\n\n“Well, he said that Taiwan was a country – that was his great sin.”\n\n“These Hollywood heavyweights who carry on and virtual signal in the west but they take a knee to the most brutal regime that is, what, locking up a million Uighurs and committing ethnic genocide, and that’s how they grovel to the Chinese Communist Party.”\n\nMr Cena said in the video he was “very sorry” about his mistake.\n\n“I apologise, I’m very sorry,” he said.\n\n“You must understand that I really love, really respect, China and the Chinese people.”
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Victoria is ‘run by imbeciles’: Rita Panahi | Sky News AustraliaThe government is treating Victorians like “we’re imbeciles” but the truth of the matter is “we’re run by imbeciles,” according to Sky News host Rita Panahi. \n\nVictoria was plunged into a seven-day state-wide lockdown on Thursday after Melbourne’s northern suburbs cluster grew to 26.\n\nThe cluster has since grown to over 40, while Victorian health authorities have expanded the list of exposure sites to 174.\n\nMs Panahi said the outdoor mask mandate for the entire state showed how “insane” the lockdown was.\n\n“You’ve got people up in Mildura who have not had a case of COVID for 13 months – up near the border – having to wear masks when they're outdoors,” she said.\n\n“You can be out walking across a paddock by yourself, and if you’re not masked, you’re technically breaking the law.\n\n“This is insane, it is not based on evidence. They don’t even release the evidence behind their decision-making, and they’re treating Victorians like we’re imbeciles, but the truth is we’re run by imbeciles.”\n
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