NEW England MP Barnaby Joyce has labelled the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine, should one become available, a "bleeding obvious one" for locals.
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It comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government was close to closing a deal for a vaccine with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
"I think it's bleeding obvious that most people should get the vaccine to avoid the risk of getting the disease.
"Not getting it is not just unwise and illogical, it is also selfish.
"If you don't vaccinate your child for something like Whooping Cough for example, do you just accept it when someone else's child gets sick because of your child?
"To people who say vaccines aren't natural, my response is neither is wearing clothes but it's still a good idea."
Mr Joyce said while it was impossible to make the vaccines mandatory, businesses would have every right to protect themselves.
"You can't make it mandatory because as soon as you do that, people will resist being told what to do," he said.
"What I reckon is, you will find a lot of childcare centres and aged-care facilities will be quite categorical about it.
"At that point they are talking about their safety, not yours and I expect places like childcare centres will be among the first to put measures in place like that.
"I support them because that is their right as a business and if someone doesn't like that they don't have to go there."