Australian businesspeople turned to former PM Kevin Rudd to discuss a greater supply of Pfizer vaccines for Australia.
Kevin Rudd met with Pfizer late last month. However, the vaccine manufacturer denies he had any influence on Australia’s advanced vaccine rollout.
In late June of this year, a network of senior Australian business figures sought to meet Pfizer’s vaccine manufacturer.
However, senior Pfizer executives insisted that the meeting would have to involve a person of a higher position in Australia.
Moreover, Pfizer allegedly communicated their surprise that Prime Minister Scott Morrison had not reached out to Chairman and Chief Executive of Pfizer, Albert Bourla.
Nevertheless, reports say Pfizer indicated that former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may be appropriate for the meeting.
Rudd was contacted and agreed to a zoom meeting with Dr Bourla, which took place on June 30.
Rudd informed Morrison of the meeting via text message, and outlined that he was speaking to Bourla as an Australian citizen, not as a representative of the Australian government.
The ABC recently released a letter from Rudd addressed to Morrison, which detailed the contents of his meeting. In the letter, Rudd stated that he brought up the possibility of bringing forward Australia’s current order of Pfizer vaccines:
“I … used the call as an opportunity to ask Dr Bourla whether there was any possible way, given Pfizer’s current international contractual obligations, to advance the dispatch of significant quantities of the Pfizer vaccine to Australia as early as possible in the third quarter this year.”
“I speculated that it might perhaps be possible for the Australian Government to consider a commercial offer … that would also incorporate a bringing-forward of the current order for the 2021 vaccine into the early part of the third quarter of this year.”
According to the letter, Dr Bourla replied that if bringing forward the order was physically possible, “he would require a further formal contractual request from the Australian Government to that effect.” Rudd asserted that he would pass that statement on to Morrison.
On Friday, Morrison confirmed that the current Pfizer order will be advanced, allowing weekly supplies to increase.
From July 19, it will rise to up to 1 million per week, around triple the current amount. The increase was initially planned for September.
Many are reporting that Rudd was crucial in bringing the order forward.
Although the meeting between Pfizer and Rudd took place, Pfizer has denied that Rudd played any part in agreements, asserting that the parties involved were limited to the Australian government and Pfizer.
new: Pfizer says reports are “inaccurate” to claim Kevin Rudd “had any role in contractual agreements”
“The only two parties involved in these agreements are Pfizer and the Australian Government” #auspol pic.twitter.com/C1HY8xTuTe
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) July 12, 2021
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was among those praising Rudd for his alleged role in negotiations.
Thank you @MrKRudd for speaking to the Chairman of Pfizer to secure an earlier delivery of vaccines. Staggered the vaccination of Australians was apparently not important enough to warrant a call from @ScottMorrisonMP or @GregHuntMP to the Pfizer boss.
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) July 11, 2021
This rise in vaccines comes at a critical time in the pandemic for Australia, with 112 cases in NSW recorded today.
Australia has been criticised for its negotiations with Pfizer mid last year.
According to a source of the ABC, Australia’s 2020 negotiations demonstrated a “rude, dismissive and penny pinching” attitude.
Health Department Officials have denied those criticisms. But Australia still did not enter into a contract with Pfizer until November, four months later than other countries.
Now more conscious of Pfizer’s crucial role in Australia’s vaccine rollout, we will hopefully see a steady increase in vaccination rates across the country.
