Peter Dutton blames over 50s for Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy

Peter Dutton made some surprising comments on morning TV today, as a blame game erupts over Victoria’s new Covid-19 lockdown.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has blamed “complacency” among over 50s for the slow rollout and urged Australia to “wake up” as a blame game erupts over the Melbourne lockdown.

Challenged over the fact that only half a million Australians have been vaccinated, the Queensland MP said today the Victorian outbreak was “a wake up call” for the nation.

“Firstly, I think we have been complacent,” Mr Dutton told the Today Show.

“If you’re living in London or New York at the moment and you’ve seen your 70-year-old next-door neighbour contract Covid and become very sick or die, if you’ve seen the devastation of thousands of people a week dying, then you’ve rushed out to get the vaccination, as a 60-or 70-year-old.

“Here in Australia, I think there is a level of complacency because people have said to themselves “well you know, it’s not here, we’re not at risk, we’re not going to get it, we’ll wait.”

Mr Dutton was among the first Australians to contract Covid in March, 2020, after an official trip overseas and was briefly admitted to hospital while he was infected.

“I think this really is a wake-up call to the general community that we need to get the complacency out of the way, have the vaccination, the risk is very low, the capacity for the health system to deal with any adverse reaction is quite remarkable,” he said.

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Peter Dutton has blamed “complacency” among over 50s for the slow rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

But Labor’s health spokesman Mark Butler said Mr Dutton’s attempts to shift responsibility was a disgrace.

“This government has become dangerously complacent about the shocking slow pace of the vaccine rollout,” he told news.com.au.

“Our most vulnerable members of the community were supposed to be fully vaccinated by Easter. Too many haven’t received a single dose.

“These latest blase comments form Peter Dutton shows just how dangerously complacent the government is about Australia languishing at 113th in the world on vaccinate rates.”

Mr Dutton said all of the vaccines had now been rolled out to eligible Australians in aged care in the Whittlesea local government area, the epicentre of the Victorian outbreak.

“There are other centres though where, for whatever reasons, because older people have got comorbidities, because they’ve had a flu injection because of the fact that families were worried about their elderly mother or father getting an injection, it is a much more complicated rollout,” he said.

“It is much more complex than you and I just rolling up to the GP, rolling up your sleeve, you’ve got the jab, you’re out in two minutes. There are lots of medical considerations and it’s a very complex rollout.

“And, when you look at the numbers of people that have been vaccinated in aged care facilities, I think we’ve done incredibly well, but we want to do more- there is no doubt about that.”

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This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia as of 26 May 2021. Stay up to date with COVID19 vaccine information here: https://t.co/TUKfzVuGVm#COVID19vaccines#COVID19pic.twitter.com/91UCGyvw56

— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) May 27, 2021

Earlier, Sunrise host Natalie Barr clashed with Health Minister Greg Hunt over conflicting vaccine advice to Australians and the Prime Minister’s claim it’s “not a race” to get vaccinated.

“One of the reasons, minister, they’re saying to wait, is because you and the Prime Minister told them that. He said that there is no rush,” Ms Barr said.

“That’s false,” Mr Hunt replied. “That’s false.

“That is not something I’ve ever said. That is not something I have ever said.”

Here's what happened when we fact-checked some of Health Minister @GregHuntMP's claims in this morning’s interview about Australia's vaccine rollout. pic.twitter.com/ixE3mHPDZx

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 27, 2021

However, as the Sunrise host pointed out subsequently, it was something the Prime Minister had said – repeatedly.

“It’s not a race. It’s not a competition,” the Prime Minister said earlier this year.

The Health Minister urged all Australians to get vaccinated ASAP.

“There is no day where we are immune, vaccination is the strongest possible protection, as well as our behaviours and as well as our borders, are the three things that kept us safe,” he said.

“If people can come forward at the earliest possible time to be tested, to be vaccinated whilst also keeping their distance and hand hygiene, all the things we know, that’s was going to keep us safe and get us through this.”