The Public Health Association of Australia and Médecins Sans Frontières Australia are gathering signatures for an open letter urging Scott Morrison to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last November, India and South Africa put forward a proposal to the World Trade Organisation calling for the suspension of patents and copyright for information regarding the research and production of products to combat COVID-19. 100 of the 164 member nations have backed the proposal, but Australia is one of the countries that opposed it.
Deborah Gleeson, an associate professor in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University, says Australia has prioritised profits over people.