Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

So much for being at the front of the vaccination queue. Some of the most vulnerable Australians—people with disabilities who live in residential care in my electorate—are still waiting for their vaccinations. New Haven Farm Home in the Hawkesbury, which accommodates 39 clients and has nearly 100 staff, has been ready and waiting since early February for the vaccination program to arrive at its doors. They got everything sorted for the date they were told it would commence: 22 February. They got consent from staff and clients—and it's quite a complex process in itself for clients as they're not able to provide consent themselves. They also shared this information with the NDIA. And what happened next? Absolutely nothing.

Worse, earlier this month they were told that staff and clients should now attend hubs with proof of entitlement under the 1a classification. The logistics of this are a nightmare for somewhere like New Haven, where staff work long shifts and clients have high care needs. When they asked about on-site vaccinations, the answer was, 'Yes, at some time in the future.' This isn't good enough for organisations that are trying to do the right thing.

The operators of DARE Disability Support, in the Blue Mountains, gave up on the Commonwealth and organised vaccinations themselves for their residential clients. That's how hopeless the rollout has been. This government gave itself very few jobs. Quarantines? They were outsourced to the states. Bringing Australians home? Look how that's worked out. And these vaccinations? This government is failing people with disabilities and failing to protect them.

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