Labor defends $300 vaccine payment after being slammed by LNP

Under a Labor Party plan, anyone who is fully immunised by December 1 would receive a cash bonus – but not everyone is happy about it.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese continues to defend his suggestion that Australians should receive cash incentives for getting the coronavirus vaccine.

Under Mr Albanese’s plan, every citizen who is fully immunised by December 1 would receive a $300 payment from the government.

“We need to use every means at our disposal to maximise the take-up of the vaccines. We know that as of now we’re running pretty close to last in the developed world,” he said on the ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday night.

Host Laura Tingle asked if the incentive payment would help overcome vaccine hesitancy, to which the Opposition leader said it was “basic economics” that “economics can drive behaviour”.

He referred to other countries where incentives have been introduced or at least been floated to encourage vaccine take-up.

United States President Joe Biden last week called for states to offer $100 to the newly vaccinated.

Earlier on Tuesday, a war of words erupted over Mr Albanese’s $300 pitch, which Finance Minister Simon Birmingham slammed as“unnecessary and unlikely to work”.

The scheme would be means-blind, meaning no matter how wealthy someone is, they would still get the $300 handout.

“Does everyone get it? So Gina Rinehart gets it, too?” Today show host Karl Stefanovic asked Mr Albanese on Tuesday morning.

“Yes,” the Opposition leader replied.

Despite this, Mr Albanese said he believes the $300 would “overwhelmingly” go to ordinary, working Australians who “are doing it really tough at the moment.”

“They‘d spend it in their local small businesses,” Mr Albanese said.

Under the proposed vaccine payment scheme, even billionaires such as Gina Rinehart will get their $300. Picture: Getty Images

But Finance Minister Simon Birmingham was highly dismissive of the means-blind plan when he spoke to the ABC.

“We looked at it, and the evidence says it’s unnecessary and unlikely to work,” he said.

“It's clearly unnecessary in the sense that Australians are responding … They do want to get their vaccines.”

Senator Birmingham said Labor’s plan was “insulting” to the Australians who were already doing the right thing and getting vaccinated.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham told the ABC that Labor’s $300 vaccine payment plan was ‘unnecessary and unlikely to work’. Picture: Gary Ramage / NCA NewsWire

Mr Albanese was quick to defend the plan, calling for the Coalition to stop putting politics before Australia’s pandemic recovery.

“For goodness sake, put politics aside,” he said on the Today show.

“This is a constructive suggestion and the government should get on-board with it.”

Nationals senator Matt Canavan said the plan was little more than a “token bribe” that would waste government money.

“Hopefully, the government won’t listen to this because I don’t think it will work. It will be counter-productive and, of course, waste billions,” Senator Canavan told Sky News

Mr Albanese snapped back on the ABC, highlighting that state lockdowns were costing Australian taxpayers billions of dollars per week.

“If 100 per cent got the jab, (the plan) would cost $6bn. For 80 per cent – the figure that the government‘s aiming at – it would be around about $5bn,” he said.

“That compares with the cost of these lockdowns – it’s up to $2bn each and every week.”

Labor leader Anthony Albanese called for the Coalition to stop putting politics before Australia’s pandemic recovery. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

But Senator Birmingham maintained that the $300 payment plan would not help increase the vaccination rate, accusing Mr Albanese of “splashing cash and hoping for the best”.

“The most important incentive to be vaccinated is it could save your life, save the lives of your loved ones, save the lives of your fellow Australians,” Senator Birmingham said.

“That‘s what is driving Australians in record numbers to get vaccinated.”

When Mr Albanese announced the proposed plan on Monday, he was quick to point out Australia was lagging behind the world in its vaccination rate.

“The government has failed on its two jobs this year, the rollout of the vaccine and fixing quarantine,” he said.

“It needs to use every measure at its disposal to protect Australians and our economy.”

Fewer than 20 per cent of Australians aged 16 years and over have been fully vaccinated.

After national cabinet last Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made it clear this number would need to more than triple to 70 per cent before the country could transition away from lockdowns and other restrictions.