Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Colbeck. I refer to an article in the Australian Financial Review, entitled 'Just 30pc of aged care staff vaccinated against COVID-19'. The article goes on to state that this refers to at least a single dose. More than four months after the vaccine rollout started, how many aged-care workers have been fully vaccinated, with both shots, against COVID-19?

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

The article in the Financial Review is a little out of date. Thirty-three per cent of residential aged-care staff, or 85,272, have received a first dose of the vaccination, according to the latest data that I have. Of those 85,272, there are 40,354, or 15.6 per cent, who have received a second dose of the vaccination.

We continue to work cooperatively with the states and territories on the rollout of the vaccine. As I've explained to the chamber before—and as the opposition aren't honest enough to acknowledge—we've had to reset the rollout of the vaccine to aged-care workers on a couple of occasions, based on health advice. Yes, it was our initial intention to vaccinate aged-care workers alongside aged-care residents, but we received health advice that that was not safe to do and so we didn't. We heeded that health advice. We then received advice with respect to the AstraZeneca vaccine, and we made some changes to the way the rollout was occurring in that context. We've opened up a number of channels to provide access for the aged-care workforce to receive a vaccination. They can go to their GP. They can go to a Commonwealth vaccination clinic. They can be supported through their provider. Quite a number of providers are actually providing their own vaccination services in house, as a part of a request for tender that remains open for aged-care providers to operate. They can go to a state vaccination clinic and have priority for that vaccination process. We continue to work cooperatively to ensure aged-care workers have access to vaccines. (Time expired)

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

Senator Walsh, a supplementary question?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

More than four months after the vaccine rollout started, how many home-care workers have been fully vaccinated, with both shots, against COVID-19?

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

At this point in time, based on the data that I have, 18.3 per cent of home-care workers have received a vaccine. Of that 18 per cent, 4.3 per cent have had a second dose. These are very early numbers because those numbers are being reported to us at this point in time voluntarily by home-care providers. That process will be made compulsory in coming weeks. We continue to provide access to all of those who are providing support to senior Australians through the various processes that I mentioned in my answer to the previous question.

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

Senator Walsh, a final supplementary question?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government's own aged-care workforce task force recommended in 2018 that a national registration system be implemented to track aged-care staff working across multiple facilities. Can the minister confirm this has still not been implemented despite around 70 per cent of aged-care workers remaining completely unprotected against COVID-19, with last year's COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria being sparked by aged-care workers working across multiple facilities?

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

As a part of our response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety report, the government has announced a workforce registration program across all of the aged-care system as a part of the reforms that we announced in the budget, so we have acknowledged that that's required and we are working to ensure that that actually is the case. It is an important thing for us to understand. We have—

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

Order! Senator Colbeck, I have Senator Wong on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is direct relevance. We didn't ask about the announcement; we asked about the implementation.

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

You have reminded the minister of that part of the question. There were other parts after it, but it did all refer to that particular program. I don't believe I can rule the minister not being directly relevant when he's talking about the actual program. That goes to the content of the answer, which can be debated after question time. Senator Colbeck to continue.

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

Thank you, Mr President. We have conducted a number of processes and consultations with the aged-care sector to ensure that we have a system in place that is effective and has the attributes that we want. The royal commission made a recommendation with respect to a certain form of registration process. We didn't accept that recommendation. We are going to utilise a system that currently exists so that we can get it up and operational as quickly as possible.