Labor leader Anthony Albanese says if he is successful at the federal election he will ramp up the COVID-19 education campaign to encourage people to get their booster shots.
‘We are not getting the publicity that we used to get,’ Mr Albanese told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
He said the government could stop using $1 billion on political advertising spruiking their credentials, including pretending their record on climate is anything other than ‘abominable’.
‘What they should do is channel funds into making sure we promote those vaccination rates,’ he said.
He and half his shadow cabinet have caught COVID-19 during the campaign ahead of this Saturday’s election.
‘We know the infection is out there, we know that the more people that are vaccinated, the better the health outcomes will be,’ he says.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s latest COVID message has been to young people, encouraging them to shed their pandemic blues and return to sports fields.
He has pledged another $20 million for the Sporting Schools program which would see it expanded to include up to 700,000 students in years 9 and 10 if his government is re-elected.
Mr Morrison said Australia was heading into a time of great opportunity, and he and the government were shifting gears to secure them.
‘We need to get (children) off those phones and get them on the field,’ he said.
‘They can have fun with their devices … but we want them out there running around.
‘We are moving into a golden decade of major events for sport in this country.’
This month will see international soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona head down to the Pacific for the first time for a friendly in Sydney.
Australia, along with New Zealand, will also host the Women’s Soccer World Cup in July next year.
LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:
NSW: 9036 cases, four deaths, 1377 in hospital and 59 in ICU
Victoria: 10,197 cases, 10 deaths, 528 in hospital, 27 in ICU
Queensland: 4812 cases, 2 deaths, 417 in hospital, 17 in ICU
Tasmania: 817 cases, 1 death, 47 in hospital, 1 in ICU
ACT: 885 cases, no deaths, 75 in hospital, 6 in ICU
South Australia: 3796 cases, no deaths, 231 in hospital, 9 in ICU
Western Australia: 12,399 cases, 4 deaths, 294 in hospital, 10 in ICU
NT: 229 new cases, no deaths, 19 in hospital with no one in ICU.
