Scott Morrison pushes equitable vaccine rollout at G20

Scott Morrison has pushed G20 leaders to ensure the fair and equitable rollout of a coronavirus vaccine across the globe.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison takes part in the G20 Riyadh Summit. Picture Adam Taylor

Scott Morrison has pushed G20 leaders to ensure the fair and equitable rollout of a coronavirus vaccine across the globe, as the heads of the world’s most powerful countries met virtually at the weekend to forge a pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister was due to address the G20 for a second time on Sunday night and raise the need for developed countries to fill the vaccine funding gap.

Mr Morrison has joined other leaders to call on G20 nations to increase their contributions — as Australia has already done — to the COVAX Facility Advanced Market Commitment and the ACT (Access to COVID-19 Tools) Accelerator, which will distribute vaccines globally.

At a summit hosted by Saudi Arabia but conducted over video conference, G20 leaders also discussed the need to kickstart the international economic recovery and resume safe cross-border travel between their nations.

Finance, Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said on Sunday that opening Australia’s borders in the first half of 2021 would be challenging but possible if there was the successful rollout of a vaccine.

“It’s not impossible, and I would like to think we will see such success in terms of both the vaccines and their effectiveness,” he told Sky News.

“The first half (of next year) may be challenging. But let’s just see how we go in terms of how quickly we can secure, distribute, get that take-up in relation to vaccines with the confidence and safety that everybody needs in terms of the vaccine being safe.”

G20 leaders also spoke about the need to resist protectionism and keep supply chains open.

There were calls for reforming the World Trade Organisation, which is currently deciding who will be the first woman to lead it – former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala or South Korea’s Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee.

The Australian understands G20 leaders canvassed the need for greater pandemic preparedness and early warning systems, with fears the next pandemic could be more contagious.

Mr Morrison’s appearance at the G20 leaders’ summit came after his attendance at the APEC conference on Friday with other Pacific Rim national leaders, where he again pushed for the fair distribution of a vaccine in developing countries. “People are very focused on vaccines and the affordable early access of safe vaccines, not just in developed countries, but in developing countries,” Mr Morrison said.

He welcomed APEC’s ability to come to an agreed statement at the end of the meeting, after leaders failed to do so at their Papua New Guinea summit in 2018.

“We had the Malaysian Putrajaya declaration last night, which I think really in many ways refreshed that commitment for APEC to focus on keeping trade doors open,” the Prime Minister said on Saturday.