Anthony Albanese goes cold on Annastacia Palaszczuk’s push

Federal Labor has distanced itself from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s attack on the four-stage national plan to live with Covid-19.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: Richard Walker

Federal Labor has distanced itself from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s attack on the four-stage national plan to live with Covid-19.

Anthony Albanese said there had not yet been a vaccine ­approved for children aged under 12 after Ms Palaszczuk said she would keep the state border closed “until I can get every child ­vaccinated”.

“I support the national plan,” the Opposition Leader said. “And what the national plan provides for is for a reduction in restrictions upon achieving the 70 per cent and 80 per cent full vaccination rates.

“At the moment, there aren’t vaccines … approved for people under 12. And we do need to open up when it is safe to do so.”

When asked whether Ms Palas­zczuk was “scaremongering” by raising the risks to young children posed by Covid-19, Mr Albanese said parents were “very worried about their children”.

He shifted focus to the need to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds, a step approved by the federal government. Mr Albanese said Labor was supportive of 12 to 15-year-olds being included in vaccination targets under the national plan. “The Prime Minister and the government need to outline what the plan is to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds, and whether those numbers should be included as part of those targets,” he said.

“Labor has said that is a matter for the national cabinet, although we are in favour of it.” However, Mr Albanese used a speech in parliament to call on the government to prepare for children younger than 12 to be included as part of the vaccination program.

Federal Labor MPs from Queensland were privately supportive of Ms Palaszczuk’s strategy, saying she was in touch with community sentiment on Covid-19.

One MP said criticism of state governments pursuing zero Covid cases was “Sydney-centric”, given it was a reality in Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia.

Labor MPs outside of Queensland were unhappy about Ms Palas­zczuk’s “ridiculous” attack on the national plan.

On Thursday, the Queensland Premier sent a tweet cherry-­picking data from the Doherty Institute modelling to claim there would be 2240 Covid deaths a month if restrictions ended when the population was 70 per cent vaccinated.

The national plan does not include ending all restrictions when the population is 70 per cent vaccinated but recommends an easing of lockdown measures.

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said children did not generally get severe illness from the Delta strain of Covid. “There have only been three children under the age of 12 that have been admitted to intensive care. Three out of 3815. That is way less than 1 in 1000,” Professor Kelly said.

“While cases have been about 17 per cent of total cases notified this year, that hospitalisation rate and the ICU rate in particular and the fact that there’ve been no deaths in under 12s is very different to what we’re seeing in adults and older children.”