Anthony Albanese calls for vaccine cash incentives under plan to boost jabs

Labor leader Anthony Albanese is calling for cash incentives to get people vaccinated.

The opposition is proposing a $300 dollar payment for everyone who is fully immunised against COVID-19 by December 1.

Mr Albanese says “we need to do everything at our disposal” to encourage vaccination.

“We think it should happen and we should be doing everything we can to incentivize people to get their vaccine,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“We want as simple a system as possible.”

The Labor plan would cost an estimated $6 billion.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says the incentive would be “quite wasteful”.

Press PLAY below to hear Mr Albanese’s argument for a $300 payment for fully-vaccinated Australians

Head of the vaccine and immunisation research group at the Doherty Institute, Professor Terry Nolan, says the idea deserves consideration.

“We’re probably going to need ways of nudging people,” he told Ross and Russel.

Professor Nolan says getting to 70 per cent of the adult population vaccinated by November is “a challenge but it’s doable”.

Press PLAY below to hear Professor Nolan’s thoughts on the cash for jabs idea

Some Australian children to be eligible for Pfizer vaccines next week