Home

Karl Stefanovic slams Greg Hunt after emails on Pfizer talks released

Ellen RansleyNCA NewsWire
Health Minister Greg Hunt has come under fire by Karl Stefanovic for his delay in meeting with Pfizer. Today/Channel 9
Camera IconHealth Minister Greg Hunt has come under fire by Karl Stefanovic for his delay in meeting with Pfizer. Today/Channel 9 Credit: Channel 9

Karl Stefanovic has accused the Health Minister of “dragging his feet” over his office’s alleged delay in meeting with vaccine maker Pfizer.

The Today host slammed Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday for not meeting with Pfizer bosses immediately when an opportunity was offered, according to emails released under freedom of information.

Labor claims this potentially delayed the country’s vaccine rollout by months.

Mr Hunt also came under similar fire by David Koch on Sunrise, who called the government “complacent”.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

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

READ NOW

An email trail released on Wednesday showed Pfizer sent an email to the Australian government on June 26 2020. 

Pfizer told the government they were in a capacity to produce “millions of doses” worldwide, and suggested the Commonwealth move quick to secure doses as the company was at that point close to finalising deals with other developed nations, including the US and the UK.

Emails show Pfizer offered to set up a formal meeting to discuss the potential rollout in depth with Mr Hunt, other senior government officials and “senior” company representatives, if the government signed a confidential disclosure argument.

Instead, a department bureaucrat met with Pfizer on July 10 for an “introductory/ exploratory” meeting.

Labor claims the documents show Mr Hunt’s office did not meet with Pfizer until August 4, two weeks after the UK and USA had signed deals with the company.

No deal was signed with Australia until November and the first doses did not arrive until February 2021.

Mr Hunt’s office has refuted the claims put forward by Labor, saying his department had been “actively engaged with Pfizer since very early in the pandemic”, and had begun formal discussions as soon as Pfizer was able.

Karl Stefanovic Greg Hunt Today show. Picture: Today/Channel 9
Camera IconHealth Minister Greg Hunt has come under fire by Karl Stefanovic for his delay in meeting with Pfizer. Today/Channel 9 Credit: Channel 9

Stefanovic, who was shaking his head and pointing his finger while interviewing Mr Hunt on Thursday, asked repeatedly why he had not met with Pfizer, as per Labor’s claims.

“It looked to me like you were dragging your feet,” Mr Stefanovic said.

“This is a company motivated – it says, ‘let’s move discussions quickly, we can deploy vaccines at unprecedented speed’.

“Pfizer wanted a timeline for vaccine rollout and they got nothing back.”

Documents released through Freedom of Information have revealed Pfizer first contacted the Australian Government, and that Minister Greg Hunt did not meet with the company for two months. Supplied via NCA NewsWire
Camera IconDocuments released through Freedom of Information have revealed Pfizer first contacted the Australian Government, and that Minister Greg Hunt did not meet with the company for two months. Supplied via NCA NewsWire Credit: Supplied

Mr Hunt responded: “No, with great respect, we did actually meet with senior international officials on July 10”.

Stefanovic cut him off: “Did you meet? Have you met them at this stage?”

Mr Hunt replied: “No. This was done by the head of the vaccine task-force”.

Stefanovic once again interjected, asking “why didn’t you meet with Pfizer?”

Mr Hunt said it was important to note at that point in time, no country in the world had an agreement.

“Come on!” Stefanovic hit back with.

“You should have taken a meeting.

“ … If that’s not dragging your feet, I don’t know what is.”

PRIME MINISTER PRESSER 030921
Camera IconGreg Hunt has come under fire after the email chain was released. NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage Credit: News Corp Australia

Sunrise put Mr Hunt through similar questions, asking Mr Hunt if he admitted it was “a bit complacent” that the government had not treated the vaccine rollout as a race.

“You guys were too slow,” Koch said.

Mr Hunt responded that he took a “different view”.

“Australia is in a vastly different position to the rest of the world even with the challenges now, because we have been fighting,” he said.

To which Koch replied, “yes, we’re locked down and everyone else is open”.

Pfizer Vaccine Arrival
Camera IconThe first batch of Pfizer vaccinations arrived in Australia in February. POOL via NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia

Mr Hunt said he wanted it on the record that the department had engaged in May, June and July. A deal was not done with Pfizer until November, because no earlier doses were available given the company was focused on the “mass deaths” in Europe.

No Pfizer doses arrived in Australia until February.

“Pfizer … made it clear there were no earlier doses available. What we received was the earliest possible available and we received it in the quantities they made available,” Mr Hunt said.

Pfizer is the recommended vaccine for Australians aged 12-60. NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi
Camera IconPfizer is the recommended vaccine for Australians aged 12-60. NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi Credit: News Corp Australia

Senator Jacqui Lambie said Mr Hunt should apologise, telling Today that the minister should not use the excuse that the whole email chain wasn’t released and own up to his mistakes.

“Let’s face it, Jacqui Lambie buggers up a lot. When I do, I come out saying ‘I got this wrong’. I admit that,” she said.

“That’s called leadership.

“I suggest Mr Hunt come out and say ‘I got this wrong, I apologise’, and get on with it.

“If you make a mistake, lead by example.

“I’m going to hold him responsible for that decision … Start leading.”

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese told Sunrise the emails showed Pfizer had “made it very clear” they wanted to engage with Australia at the earliest opportunity.

“But the minister did not take the meeting. He didn’t even send along the head of his department, but a junior burger,” Mr Albanese said.

“ … It was always a race, a race to get vaccinated so we weren’t in the current situation of having half the country in lockdown.”

As of Thursday, Australia is just one million doses short of recording 70 per cent first vaccination dose.

Originally published as Karl Stefanovic slams Greg Hunt after emails on Pfizer talks released

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

Sign up for our emails