Scott Morrison says the premier of Western Australia is "underselling" the commitment of his people to get vaccinated.
Mark McGowan won't be reopening WA's borders to infected states such as NSW until early next year, when it's hoped more than 80 per cent of West Australians will be fully vaccinated.
He's faced criticism for the state's slow vaccine rollout, which trails all others in the nation.
But the WA premier argues he can't speed it up until Mr Morrison's government provides more vaccines and improves the commonwealth rollout in aged care and remote communities.
"I think he's underselling Western Australians," Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
"I think they'll get vaccinated sooner than that (January).
"They want to engage with the rest of the country and the world - Western Australians look out, they don't look in."
Mr Morrison said the next stage of the pandemic will be hard, as restrictions are eased and case numbers rise.
"If you want to live with the virus you inevitably have to pass down that tunnel, and that will be true in every single state and territory in the country," he said.
"My advice to Western Australia is get vaccinated and get ready, get your hospital system ready, get your health system ready, and push through and we can all reconnect and be one again."
