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- Labor proposes a plan to provide a $300 incentive to any Australian who receives a COVID-19 jab, in an effort to quicken the vaccine rollout
- If all Australians get the jab and spent the money, the plan would inject up to $6 billion into the economy
- However, Finance Minister, Simon Birmingham, says Labor’s vaccination incentive plan is “unnecessary” and “an insult”
- The Australian Government has guaranteed that Australia will have more than enough vaccines to meet the 80 per cent target by December 1
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has proposed a plan to provide a $300 incentive to any Australian who receives a COVID-19 jab, in an effort to quicken the vaccine rollout.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham labelled the incentive plan as “an insult”.
Mr Albanese hopes the payment would get as many Australians as possible vaccinated by December.
“This support would be a further incentive for Australians to be fully vaccinated and would deliver a much-needed shot in the arm for businesses and workers struggling from lockdown,” he said.
“The faster this is achieved, the faster the recovery as we emerge from the lockdowns that are bleeding hundreds of millions of dollars a day from the nation’s finances.”
Labor said, if all Australians got the jab and spent the money, the cash payment would inject up to $6 billion into the economy.
However, Senator Birmingham dismissed the proposal saying government research shows cash bonuses do not work.
“We looked at it and the evidence says it’s unnecessary,” he told the ABC.
“We’re seeing daily records set in the number of Australians turning out and getting vaccinated.”
“It’s a bit insulting to the many millions of Australians who are already doing the right thing, who are planning on doing the right thing, and know full well the reason they [should] get vaccinated is to protect their health and the health of their fellow Australians.”
The Australian Government has guaranteed that Australia will have more than enough vaccines to meet the 80 per cent target by December 1.
Notably, some people are hesitant to get AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine as official advice recommends Pfizer for people under 60.
Despite this, The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has stated that the benefits of receiving AstraZeneca outweigh any risk of rare side effects.
