PM under fire as Turnbull, Rudd meddle in vaccine rollout

OSTN Staff

Mr Turnbull tweeted his thanks on Monday to his fellow former PM for “speaking to the chairman of Pfizer to secure an earlier delivery of vaccines”. In his tweet, Mr Turnbull said he was “staggered the vaccination of Australians was apparently not important enough to warrant a call from Scott Morrison.”Reports emerged on Sunday that Mr Rudd had met with Pfizer boss Dr Albert Bourla and lobbied him in “a private capacity” to accelerate the delivery of 40 million Covid-19 vaccines to Australia. Health Minister Greg Hunt has disputed whether Mr Rudd’s discussions had an impact on delivery schedules, The Australian reports. Earlier, it emerged the PM has suffered a 10-point slide in his approval rating amid the nation’s botched vaccine rollout. An analysis of Newspoll surveys conducted between April 21 and June 26 reveals Mr Morrison’s net approval rating has been pulled down by nearly 10 points from 27 per cent to 18 per cent, The Australian has reported. Women and resource-state voters have turned away as the election contest is reshaped by pandemic politics, the management of Australia’s economic recovery and future vaccine supply, The Australian has said.The poll puts the Coalition and Labor on an even electoral footing, with Greens preferences pushing the ALP to a 51-49 per cent lead despite the party lagging the government on primary support by 36-41 per cent.Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has not escaped unscathed, with his net approval rating dropping a further three points into negative territory at -6 per cent.Despite the women problem facing the Coalition, Mr Morrison still enjoys a lead of 27 points over Anthony Albanese as the preferred leader of female voters, The Australian reported. NSW has emerged as the key battleground, with the parties tied 50-50 after preferences.The Coalition also faces the risk of extended lockdowns fuelling a voter backlash in key seats it must win along the NSW south coast, The Australian reported.

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