Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware there are 237 aged-care facilities in my state where residents have not been fully vaccinated and 29 facilities where residents have not even received their first dose? This morning the Minister for Health and Aged Care said he was 'very comfortable with the vaccine rollout'. How can the government be comfortable with older Australians being left so vulnerable?

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

I will ask the Minister for Health and Aged Care to add to my answer. The figures the member referred to in his question are not current. I will allow the Minister for Health and Aged Care to update you on those figures. What I do know is this: in Victoria today, more than 50 per cent of those aged over 70 have been vaccinated.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat.

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

They have had that dose and that is important. That is an important difference, as we go into this challenge, to what we have faced in previous challenges. I will ask the minister to update the House on the status of vaccinations in those aged-care facilities.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To add to the Prime Minister's answer, around Australia approximately 97 per cent of aged-care facilities have been vaccinated so far. That means 4,322 visits to aged-care facilities around the country—that is, across age and disability care, 337,227 vaccinations. Very specifically, within the Victorian context, there are 598 residential aged-care facilities in Victoria; 582 of those have received at least their first dose, seven are to receive their first dose today and the remaining nine tomorrow. That will bring residential aged-care facilities within our home state of Victoria to 100 per cent and will provide a very important measure of protection to the most vulnerable. That is why we have prioritised them and why we have made sure that teams from around the country have been going into aged-care facilities in every state and territory. In particular, within the Whittlesea local government area, there are 16 residential aged-care facilities, all of which have not only been vaccinated but have been vaccinated twice.

These are important projections. I want to thank all of those who have been vaccinating and all of those who have been facilitating that. In addition to that, as the Prime Minister has said, over 50 per cent of Australians over the age of 70 have been vaccinated. These are important and significant developments.