Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Boothby for her question and for her strong leadership in this House.

I will share with you the number of first doses that Indigenous Australians have received now: over 200,000, or 34 per cent, and 108,000 have received their second dose, at 18 per cent. But the most interesting one is for those with an unknown address: 5,707 have come in to have a vaccination and 2,699 have also joined that process.

One of the challenges that we're still having is the misinformation that is online. Even when we speak in this chamber, our people listen to what is said in some of our speeches. I had one who asked me if there was a shortage of vaccines and doses—that was because they had heard one comment. So we have to ensure that we stand with our Indigenous leaders to make sure of the work they're doing. They're working their backsides off to get people into clinics, into vaccination points, into GPs, into the ADF, into the AUSMAT teams and with the RFDS.

Where there are shortages—if there are any at all, like that which the member for Newcastle, who I will compliment, raised with me this morning—I'll follow those through. It is better that those opposite talk to us so that we can deal with these matters. Even with Wilcannia, there were messages saying there were food shortages. What's interesting in the Wilcannia news is this:

A coordinated effort between the Local Emergency Management Committee, Aboriginal Affairs, Maari Ma, REDI.E and Central Darling Shire Council will see food deliveries to households in Wilcannia.

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On Saturday, 566 food hampers were distributed with 173 personal hygiene hampers going out.

So what we're doing is we are coordinating, through leadership at the regional level, the level of engagement to ensure that people have the vaccinations. Our vulnerable community has had support. I will compliment all members in this chamber, because there are many on the other side who have gone out and talked with Aboriginal organisations and supported them. We need to continue to make sure that our efforts are parallel with Indigenous media. What we do know is our people listen more to Indigenous media than they do to mainstream, because that's where they get the cultural messages, they get messages in language, and they get it in plain speak, which gives them the assuredness that what's being offered is there and it's real. So I would ask all of us in our electorates to talk to Aboriginal organisations to see what support they need and provide that level of support. (Time expired)

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