Our mornings in London currently follow a similar routine. Wake-up, check the UK headlines, check the Australian headlines, duck to the gym (yay, it’s finally open!), come home, make a coffee, Facetime my parents in Brisbane.

I miss them terribly.

My husband Billy and I moved to the UK in December 2019 for my dream gig as 7NEWS Europe Correspondent, and - like so many others - have been separated from our loved ones ever since.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

Inevitably during our FaceTime chat, we discuss the aforementioned headlines. After all, COVID-19 and Government imposed restrictions have dominated all our lives - in both hemispheres - for the past 14 months. We talk about the difference in strategies between countries; where the UK failed, where Australia succeeded. And vice versa.

With one of my parents usually preparing dinner during these calls, the iPhone is propped up on the kitchen bench (often leaving me staring at the ceiling) while we discuss borders, testing, R-rates, number of deaths and vaccines.

Mum and dad are both eligible for their first dose, but are yet to have it. They’re willing to be immunised and understand its importance, but “haven’t got around to it yet”.

According to a new survey (conducted by Resolve Strategic) almost one-third of adult Australians say they’re unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

"‘The sentiment in the United Kingdom couldn’t be more different.’"

Of those Aussies hesitant to get the jab, 50% say they’re nervous about side-effects; 32% want to ‘wait’ until more people have been vaccinated; 21% feel there’s no rush while the international borders remain closed.

The sentiment in the United Kingdom couldn’t be more different.

57.9 million doses of the vaccine have been administered so far - more than 70% of British adults have had one dose and almost 40% of the population is fully protected.

The average take-up rate across England is 89.8%, one of the highest in the world.

Such is the demand to be jabbed, people have pretended to be health-workers or carers to jump the queue; others line up outside clinics in London at the end of each day, hoping to receive a spare dose.

Conversely, a Victorian nurse working at one of the state’s “mass vaccination hubs” claims that during an 8 hour shift she administered one vaccine.

How is this even possible!?

Incentive. Or rather, lack thereof.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly told the nation the vaccine isn’t “a silver bullet”.

In defending why it wasn’t rolled out earlier than March, he said ‘On the vaccine, you don’t rush to failure. That’s very dangerous for Australians.”

And most recently, on the issues of borders he said, “We sit here as an island that’s living like few countries in the world are at the moment”.

No rush. No timelines or targets. No incentive.

Here in the UK, being vaccinated means Brits can hug elderly loved ones without the fear of killing them. Being fully vaccinated will allow them to travel to destinations across Europe this summer. Being vaccinated will hopefully put an end to the trauma and loss of life they’ve endured over the past 14 months.

In Australia, border closures and “short, sharp lockdowns” remain the only line of defence between normal life and a third wave.

Family survey

Out of curiosity (after chatting with mum and dad) I decided to conduct my own family poll.

Of the 11, eligible relatives I spoke to in Australia - just one has received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, another has her appointment booked on Friday.

I asked the others why they haven’t yet rolled up their sleeves.

“I’m waiting to see how it all pans out. Will definitely get a jab if there is a risk of getting it, but at the moment in Australia we are kind of isolated from it all and I have no plans to travel” said one relative, a former pharmacist.

Another, told me “I will get it.. but must admit I am a little nervous about the side effects of the clotting - I know slim chance, but still nervous”.

I carried out a second survey, involving eligible relatives in the UK.

9 out of 9 have received a jab, including three elderly relatives who are fully immunised and will likely receive booster shots in the Autumn. One is an 81-year old uncle, who survived stomach cancer, had COVID-19 at Christmas and is desperate to travel abroad again.

For transparency, my husband and I - ages 30 and 37 - have had our first dose of AstraZeneca, after being offered it by the National Heath Service (NHS).

The age advice regarding this particular vaccine has subsequently changed, but doctors have advised it’s safe to receive our second jabs as planned. And we’re choosing - like so many politicians have said during the pandemic - to put our faith in the science.

Hopefully one day soon, the chats with my parents will be in person and we can talk about all of this madness in past tense. But my confidence is low, given Australia’s current path.

Our country proclaims to be the ‘envy of the world’ due to its handling of COVID-19.

People in the UK are undoubtedly jealous of how Australia started.

Less so, of where it’s going.

Sarah Greenhalgh is a reporter and Europe Correspondent for 7NEWS