Thread by @latikambourke

PM Scott Morrison speaking after national cabinet.

He says no state should increase restrictions beyond where they are now according to new plan agreed with Premiers today.

Morrison says learning of Delta strain is that quick lockdowns are required while the goal remains to suppress circulation of the virus.

Morrison says lockdowns are still possible in the next phase of the road out of lockdown.

But they 'are not something you would normally expect'.

International border caps will remain.

Okay LARGER caps for returning vaccinated Australians in the second phase of the road map.

And new quarantine arrangements for vaccinated residents.

When 80% vaccination reached - the country will move into phase C but 'highly targetted lockdowns' will still be possible.

Wow. That's huge. Lockdowns STILL possible even with 80 per cent vaccination rates.

In that phase all vaccinated residents will be exempt from restrictions and a gradual reopening of travel to inbound and outbound to countries with same level of vaccination rates.

So Fortress Australia is baked in even when Australia's vaccination rates are that high.

Morrison says final phase would be reopening borders and quarantine only for high-risk countries but there's no level of vaccination set for that final complete unlocking phase.

But the entire plan is still all up the air.

Australia's re-entry to the world is going to take years under this 'plan.'

For as long as you have Australia's distance + enforced $3k quarantine, travel beyond only distress, business and for cashed-up is out of the question.

Morrison: 'this is not about Freedom Days and things like that. We've always been Australian in taking our own path to this.

We've made our own Australia way through this sure.'

Morrison: 'We've acted with a lot of cuation. That's why there are 30,000 Australians today who are still alive because of that and the decisions we've taken.'

Morrison on whether he regrets praising NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for initially resisting lockdown :'We all humbly learn from these things, we make the adjustments and we get on with it.'

Morrison: 'if you want to get vaccinated, the AZ vaccine is there for you, it's a highly effective vaccine as we've seen all around the world. It's how the UK has got to their 70%, substantially.'

Morrison on vaccines is now saying all the things he was pointedly NOT saying about their efficacy when UK was beginning its rollout in Dec/Jan.

Morrison is saying Australians vaccinated OVERSEAS will have to be vaccinated with TGA-approved vaccines to qualify for entry under increased caps for vaccinated Australians.

Important to ask here what happens if Australia hits limits of demand before reaching 70% or 80%....

Morrison believes Australia can get to 70% ... and we're back to invoking the gold medallists.

😬

(UK take up at 88% but is it the exception? No rejection of AZ, vax take up started when pandemic was at its worst and complete cross-party support for the rollout).

So there's been an important shift here.

The goals set for reopening seems to have changed from OFFERING the population the jab to actual take up of the vaccines.

So this means vaccine shoppers + hesitants or the antis could hold back those who've gone out and gotten a jab.

But a big positive shift, if it bears out, is the Premiers agreeing that the vaccinated get exemptions from restrictions in the future.

That's the first start to build upon but Premiers have agreed to things before at Nat Cab and not seen them through.