Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. From Victoria to Queensland and to New South Wales large numbers of school students have been infected with COVID, but your vaccination targets do not include children, which means that your 80 per cent target is actually a lower 65 per cent target for the whole population. According to Grattan Institute modelling, such a target could result in many, many thousands of deaths if restrictions are lifted. Prime Minister, given this risk and given the growing prevalence of infection in children, will you extend vaccination coverage to children over 12 and include them in your national vaccination target?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Health may wish to add to my answer. The member would be aware, from the Doherty modelling, that it was the recommendation of Professor McVernon, that came through the Doherty modelling, that including those under 16 in the overall vaccination targets was not recommended. That does not mean to say that there isn't a role for the vaccination of those under 16. But, in terms of the epidemiology, in terms of hitting the vaccination targets as a percentage of those over 16 and the impact that that has on transmission, that is not necessary for that purpose of the vaccination targets.

But the vaccination of children is a matter that is being carefully considered right now by the Chief Medical Officer, together with the head of SITAG and with Operation COVID Shield, to understand fully where the priorities would need to be to offer vaccines to those under the age of 16. We are also awaiting the advice from ATAGI on where those priorities may be, because there have been differing practices around the world in terms of the vaccination of children. So it is something the government is taking extremely seriously. The work that is guiding us when it comes to the setting of vaccination targets has been provided by the Doherty Institute. I'm sure the member would agree, as would the member for Melbourne, that the Doherty Institute is one of the finest scientific modelling organisations in the world when it comes to these issues. So we will be guided by their advice. That is an explanation as to why the vaccination targets have been set as they are.

The issue of vaccinating children is very important, and we will wait further medical advice on the best way to approach that task to ensure their safety and to give peace of mind, particularly to their parents and their families but also of course to those children, and to ensure that we also are enabled to continue the process of rolling out the national vaccination plan. Professor McVernon made a very important point yesterday, and that was that one of the primary ways that you can prevent this COVID virus getting to children is the vaccination of their parents. That is a key factor that has been taken up in the national vaccination plan as a result of the Doherty process that I commissioned.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Health?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just very briefly, in relation to approvals for children, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has given an approval on the application from Pfizer for that vaccine to be applied to 12- to 15-year-olds. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has provided its first piece of advice, which the government has accepted, to open that up initially for immuno-compromised children, children in remote communities and children of Indigenous heritage. That will commence as of next week. They will then provide subsequent advice in relation to the general population. If that is to extend it to the general 12- to 15-year-old groups, the government has agreed that we will accept that. Planning is already underway with all states and territories to administer— (Time expired)