US gives Australia a cold shoulder on vaccines

Tensions between the Biden White House and Canberra build up over the US failing to provide any vaccines to Australia.

Joe Biden promised to give vaccines to needy nations. Picture: AFP

The US has not given the Morrison government any vaccines throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic, as tension points between the Biden White House and Canberra build.

Despite President Joe Biden promising to give Covid-19 vaccine doses to needy nations, the Health Department this weekend confirmed Australia had neither bought or received any shots from the US.

The vaccine confirmation comes weeks after The Australian revealed Scott Morrison’s government made as-yet-unanswered requests to the Biden administration for extra Pfizer doses, despite substantial support from US congress leaders.

The Morrison government was attacked last week by the US’s deputy envoy on climate change over its emission reductions policies, and the Prime Minister is yet to speak to Mr Biden about the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Foreign policy experts are warning the Australia cannot expect the US to be the same ally it has been in previous years and must become more self-reliant.

ANU defence and strategic studies analyst Hugh White said on Sunday Mr Biden was “unsentimental” about Australia and Washington was not prepared to help Mr Morrison on vaccines over developing countries.

“The Biden administration, like the Trump administration before it, is demonstrating that it is wholly unsentimental about Australia … We think we’re their little mates, but US policy ­towards Australia has always been determined by how much we help their strategic interests,” Professor White said.

“Biden’s pandemic policy has been pretty coherent in that he wants to send vaccines to developing countries with high Covid-19 rates. Washington is not interested in doing Morrison a political favour because he screwed up early acquisition of jabs.”

Mr Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal has been criticised by four former PMs – Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Kevin Rudd and John Howard – and there are concerns about the US’s ­reliability in the Asia-Pacific.