As business and sports bodies call for vaccine passports, politicians refuse to bring out the stamp

Back in May, Prime Minister Scott Morrison started talking about a vaccine passport, of sorts. In a future Australia, the vaccinated could have more rights than those who refused, including exemption from interstate border restrictions, meaning greater freedom to travel even when outbreaks have flared up.

Two months later, with Sydney stuck in indefinite lockdown and Melbourne still not returned to normal, sporting bodies, arts and events organisations are increasingly talking about proof of vaccination as a ticket to normal; a carrot that could draw people away from hesitancy. It comes as countries like the US and France continue to require vaccination in certain settings, and grant greater freedoms to people who have received the jab.

But on a political level, support for a vaccine passport is tepid. State premiers were cool on Morrison’s proposal. And he faces stiff opposition from conservatives within the Coalition.

Morrison’s thought bubble

Vaccination passports are already technically a thing in Australia. A person’s jabs show up on the Express Plus Medicare App. Last week, Morrison said by this month they’d be in a form that could be dropped into Apple Wallets on iPhones. By October, he says they’ll be recognised internationally.

But proof of vaccination makes it no easier to leave the country. Australia has the ability to grant greater freedoms to people who are vaccinated. But with most of the population still not fully vaccinated, we’re not doing that yet.

In May, Morrison first started talking up the prospect of allowing people who could prove vaccination travel more freely between the states.

“I think that’s something that Australians would support and I think it recognises the reality that states and territories, from time to time, will be making decisions which will restrict movements of Australians across the country,” Morrison said.

Morrison wanted to take the proposal to national cabinet. But even before he could, state premiers had expressed their dissatisfaction with it. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian didn’t like the premise, and said states should never be closing their borders to each other in the first place. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she wasn’t sure “how a passport would work around Australia”. Leaders in Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria expressed similar reservations. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese also rubbished the idea.

National cabinet came and went, with no mention from Morrison of vaccine certificates. The thought bubble had been abandoned. When asked last week about vaccine certificates as a step to take when Australia achieved a higher level of uptake, Morrison noted they already exist, but gave no clarity about how they might be used.

“We’re not a country that mandates vaccines, and we’re a country that respects the individual rights and liberties of our citizens. But, at the same time, we have to act in accordance with public health,” he said.

The issue could return to national cabinet tomorrow.

Conservative backlash

Morrison’s apparent back-down on vaccine passports could also reflect the division within his own party on the issue. In general, the most conservative voices at the back of the Coalition’s broad church are dead-set against any form of vaccine passport, and the concept is regularly attacked in the Sky News bubble.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan told the ABC vaccine passports were “unAustralian” last month, and has been a vocal opponent of their introduction.

Former Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly introduced the No Domestic COVID Vaccine Passports Bill last month. While Kelly now sits on the crossbench, his private member’s bill secured the support of outgoing Coalition MP George Christensen. Christensen is running paid Facebook ads attacking vaccine passes, which analytics show have been viewed by around 400,000 people. Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has expressed support for Kelly’s bill. Senators Alex Antic and Gerard Rennick are also opposed to vaccine passports.

Australia largely has the technology to create vaccine passports. While not enough of the country is yet vaccinated to make them fair, the promise of greater freedom could drive uptake of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being abandoned by many who are eligible.

But vaccine passports seem to have lost the support of everyone.