Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Minister Colbeck. Spain, Germany, France, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and Ireland have hit pause on the AstraZeneca rollout while they look into its potential links to blood clots. Your colleague Senator Canavan said today that Australia should follow suit. Why is the minister for health telling Australians there's no need to worry when health officials in eight different countries are putting on the brakes?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Lambie, for the question. As I said earlier in question time today, the government continues to follow the advice of Australia's world-leading Therapeutic Goods Administration and of the other health authorities that advise us and have advised us so successfully through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this circumstance, ATAGI, who provide advice to us, has put out a statement noting the suspension of the AstraZeneca rollout in other countries, but it has also noted, as part of that statement, that the rates of thrombotic events are not higher in the vaccine recipients than the expected background rate. These events are an issue that health authorities keep an eye on as part of the process, and our authorities here in Australia maintain and continue close contact with authorities in Europe, particularly the EMA, and the UK authority, the MHRA, where over 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been dispensed without seeing an incidence of increase of these sorts of events.

We maintain close contact with those authorities, and the government continues to act on the advice of the TGA, ATAGI and the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Kelly, in continuing a safe rollout of this vaccine across the country, which we all acknowledge is extremely important for not only the health of the Australian community but also the economic recovery of the Australian economy from the COVID-19 virus. We continue to act on that professional advice, and that's the advice that we will follow as the rollout continues. The government believes that that's the appropriate process to follow.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, a supplementary question?

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This isn't just about science; this is about trust. Australians didn't trust the minister for health enough to sign up to the COVIDSafe app. He spent $14 million on that app, and half of that was on advertising. A year later, it's only found a handful of COVID contacts. If Australians didn't trust the health minister enough to put an app on their phones, why would they trust him enough to put a vaccine in their arms?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie—through you, Mr President—in my answer to the last question, my reference with respect to who Australians should listen to and trust with respect to this vaccine was to the government—but via the advice that we receive, that we have all received, from the TGA, ATAGI and people like the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Kelly, ably assisted by and led through the Department of Health by Professor Murphy, the secretary of the department and who has been leading the process of the vaccination rollout.

Senator Lambie is quite correct: this is a very important process for us. We need to maintain trust in the process, which is why we continue to rely on the advice of ATAGI, the TGA and the CMO— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, a final supplementary question?

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

People in this building can deny it until they're blue in the face, but the reality is that, out there, there's growing lack of trust in the vaccine. People are saying that they're losing confidence that the vaccines we have in Australia are safe and effective. Why have we tied the fate of our economic recovery to the success of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the point where we're all forced to say everything is fine, while the vaccine itself is starting to roll off the rails?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lambie for the question, but I don't agree with the assertion she placed at the end of her question. The vaccination process in this country is continuing to ramp up. We are continuing to receive supplies of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines. Other vaccines may come online to support the vaccination of Australians as the approval process continues, as we get access, say, through the Covax mechanism, where we do have capacity coming online.

Australians can be confident. I have to say that, in my experience and in the feedback that I've been getting, for example, from aged-care facilities, there is significant confidence and significant demand. There is significant demand from senior Australians for the vaccination process—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I am struggling to hear the minister.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Currently over 40,000 Australians in over 500 aged-care facilities have been vaccinated, so in my experience there is strong demand for the vaccination. (Time expired)