Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night New South Wales Health issued a COVID public health alert for Jervis Bay, Hyams Beach and Vincentia. A confirmed case of COVID-19 from Melbourne was in the area on 23 and 24 May while potentially infectious. True to form, people in my electorate are taking precautions and have responded well. Pop-up drive-through COVID testing clinics have been set up at Huskisson, Vincentia and Nowra, and existing testing sites will have extended services. People are doing the right thing and lining up for COVID testing, even if they have the mildest of cold symptoms. But it's disappointing that the Morrison government has completely bungled the COVID vaccination roll out. They only had two jobs—the vaccine rollout and national quarantine – and they failed both. Not all residents in my local aged-care facilities are fully vaccinated. There are still aged-care workers and nurses in aged-care homes that are not vaccinated. Many of the elderly and vulnerable in my electorate have told me they have not been able to get vaccinated at their GP. Why? Because there are not enough vaccines. Fifty or 100 doses of vaccine at their local GP doesn't stack up, particularly in a regional area where there's no public transport and people are immobile.

What is the Morrison government's plan to help regional people to be vaccinated? What is the Morrison government's doing to make sure aged-care workers and nurses are vaccinated? It's beyond time for the Morrison government to step up and provide the protections people in my communities rightfully deserve.