Home

States are ‘locked in’ to begin reopening at 80 per cent vaccinated says Barnaby Joyce

Helena BurkeNCA NewsWire
Not Supplied
Camera IconNot Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has shut down any suggestion of changes being made to the national reopening plan, insisting states are “locked in” to the vaccination targets they agreed to in July.

When asked whether the vaccination targets for reopening could be changed, Mr Joyce responded firmly in the negative.

“No, they cannot. They are locked in at 80 per cent,” the Deputy PM told Sunrise on Monday.

“The only thing we can change is the views of the states, and if the states have a different view, we won’t so much as be locking ourselves in, but they will be – by their own admission – locking themselves out.”

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

“Well, so they can really be changed,” Sunrise host Natalie Barr challenged Mr Joyce.

“No, they can’t,” the Deputy PM shot back.

“It is 80 per cent. They signed up to a national agreement and let’s hope they stick to it”

Mr Joyce’s comments come less than 12 hours after federal Employment Minister Stuart Robert informed the public that the national reopening targets would be under constant revision as the nature of the health crisis changes.

Barnaby Joyce
Camera IconDeputy PM Barnaby Joyce shut down any suggestion of changes to the national reopening plan. Kym Smith Credit: News Corp Australia

“The Delta variant has thrown everything up. A plan is always a basis for change – it has to be,” Mr Robert told Insiders on Sunday.

“Nothing is set in stone.”

When asked by Insiders host David Speers whether the 80 per cent vaccination target for gradual opening up might change if governments were concerned about hospital capacity, Mr Robert said: “Anything could change next week.”

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon was quick to point out the contradiction between the two LNP ministers when he also spoke to Sunrise on Monday.

“Well, that was a great pivot by Barnaby away from his own minister,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“I just wish they would all shut up.

“We have a national plan and we need certainty.”

But Mr Joyce swiftly hit back at the Labor MP, highlighting that it was Labor premiers Annastacia Palaszczuk and Mark McGowan who had been leading the charge to reject the national plan.

“You have this haphazard approach by some of the Labor states and we look forward to that changing,” Mr Joyce said.

“We have ridiculous statements by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that talks about over 2000 people dying and scaring the living bejesus out of people.

“We will open up after 80 per cent. If people have another plan, that is a plan to isolate themselves to some kind of hermit kingdom and that will come unstuck because it won't work and people will not accept it.”

When pushed by the Sunrise host about Mr McGowan’s potential plans to keep his borders closed until a 90 per cent vaccination target is reached, even Mr Fitzgibbon made it clear he did not support his Labor Party colleague.

“I think Mark McGowan is wrong to talk about 90 per cent at this point in time. Absolutely wrong,” he said.

“Business needs certainty.”

Mr Joyce was insistent that although the national plan would lead to Covid-19 deaths, this was a reality Australians needed to accept.

“When they do open up, and they will, what will happen then is that some people will get sick, and tragically a small proportion – almost overwhelmingly, unvaccinated people – will die,” Mr Joyce said.

“That is what happens with the flu and it is a terrible thing to say it is a tragedy, but it is the truth.

“They are locked in at 80 per cent and that is the national agreement and that is what has got to happen.”

Originally published as States are ‘locked in’ to begin reopening at 80 per cent vaccinated says Barnaby Joyce

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails