Greens call on government to invest in domestic vaccine manufacturer

Greens leader Adam Bandt is calling on the government to fund a domestic vaccine manufacturer amid “worrying” reports that Australians would likely be last to receive a vaccine if it were developed overseas.

Mr Bandt told Sky News the party was calling on the government to invest $70 million in the project to ensure Australia was not “at the back of the queue”.

“It is precisely because there’s a scramble and because the other places that we could potentially get the vaccine from, the government is either busy antagonizing or dealing with their own problems that we need to ensure our domestic capability,” he said.

“We would need substantial investment because we would effectively need new production lines, new forms of production set up and we’ve got to start now.

“It may well be that Australia invents the vaccine but can’t manufacture it here, and that would be a terrible situation to be in.”

Image: AP