Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has remained tight-lipped on when Australia would emerge from the pandemic as he declared it would be “very brave” to suggest it was over.
The Prime Minister was speaking alongside state and territory First Ministers on Friday morning following his first National Cabinet in the top job when he was asked whether the nation was still in a pandemic.
The question came after confirmation the Commonwealth Government would extend the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response for a further three months to the end of the year, at a cost of approximately $760 million.
“Clearly the decision that we made today to extend the funding, is a recognition that there are currently around about 3,000 people in hospital as a result of COVID,” Albanese said. “It clearly isn’t over yet and it would be very brave to suggest that you can make that projection,” he added.
The National Partnership on COVID-19 Response was set to expire in September after former prime minister Scott Morrison refused to extend the funding.
Albanese also revealed the group of leaders agreed to a review of health funding and arrangements to look at future reforms and investment in primary care.