Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Just 18 per cent of First Nations Australians are fully vaccinated; just half of aged-care workers are fully vaccinated; just 28 per cent of NDIS participants are fully vaccinated; and less than half of the disability workforce are fully vaccinated. Eighteen months into this pandemic, why are so many vulnerable Australians so at risk, particularly given the Prime Minister said so many of these groups would be fully vaccinated by Easter?

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

Three hundred and thirty-five thousand doses of the vaccine were administered yesterday. That was a record for this vaccination program in Australia, and that included the groups that the member has referred to in his question.

Those groups, again, which he has referred to, and others, are: aged-care residents at 88.6 per cent on their first dose and second dose is 84.1 per cent; aged-care workers are at 76.9 per cent on their first dose and 54.5 per cent on their second dose; disability care residents are at 68.4 per cent on their first dose and 53.8 per cent on their second; and disability care workers are now also over 50 per cent, with 58 per cent on their first dose and 39.1 per cent on their second dose. And, importantly, of those who are over 70—the most vulnerable in our population—some 86.2 per cent of them are now vaccinated on their first dose and just shy of 60 per cent, 59.9 per cent, are on their second dose.

In the vaccination program in Australia this past week there have been 1.9 million doses in the course of the week. On a per capita basis, that is stronger than anything we saw in the United Kingdom, the United States, France or other places on their best weeks—on their best weeks! We know that that vaccination program will continue to move forward in the months ahead and move into those communities where the vaccination rates are still below where they need to be. But the program will ensure that they do reach those communities. It's up to every single member of this House to ensure that we're doing every single thing we can to promote that vaccination program in their communities—to create confidence in that program so that people will come forward and access that program.

In states where they're lagging they should encourage them to go and get vaccinated. In many of those states that is often because the level of COVID has been so low. That's particularly, I'd say, in Indigenous communities, where the Minister for Indigenous Australians has been doing such great work to encourage them. That's because when they have seen COVID start to come into their communities they have become aware that simply being remote does not make them immune. When we have seen that occur then we've seen those vaccination rates rise.

That vaccination program, its success and its rate of vaccination that we're seeing now, will be, I believe, based on the rates we're achieving now—the 70 and 80 per cent rates under the national plan—very achievable. Those rates are very achievable this year, and that gives Australians hope. That gives Australians great hope that the national plan—the safe plan; the Australian plan being done the Australian way—to give Australians hope for their future is rolling out across the country. I want to thank the government members for their great support of that plan and for promoting it throughout the country, and I encourage all members to do the same. (Time expired)