Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Aged-care residents across Australia were meant to be fully vaccinated by Easter. Is the Acting Prime Minister aware that the Department of Health says there are still 30,000 aged-care residents who have not received their second dose? Why has the government left tens of thousands of aged-care residents vulnerable to COVID in winter?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thought I might have got a question about the Newcastle Airport on infrastructure. I thought I might have finally got a question about an FTA.

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

The Acting Prime Minister will resume his seat. You might only be eight seconds in, but—the Manager of Opposition Business can resume his seat for a second. If you're a short way into the question and you're giving some context to the answer, that's okay, but no minister can simply start talking about another question they wish they'd been asked. The question was quite specific, with two parts. I invite the Acting Prime Minister to resume his answer and be relevant to the questions.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is a vaccination rollout and we are getting on with the job of doing just that, doing it through Commonwealth officials, doing it through state public health officials, doing it for Australia. I have to say, as the minister for health has just indicated in his previous answer, we should be proud as a nation of what we have been able to achieve together to keep Australians safe, to protect lives, to protect livelihoods.

We have lost 910 Australians through this global pandemic, and, indeed, it is a global pandemic. If you look at what has happened overseas, it is an absolute tragedy. It's a tragedy that we've lost 910 Australians—only one this year, but we mourn them with their families. We remember those people. But we have a vaccination strategy. We are rolling out the vaccine, whether it's through aged-care facilities for workers, for residents—

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

I would just say to the Acting Prime Minister the information he's giving is certainly context for the question, but I do need to point out to him that he's now quite a way in and the questions, as I said, were very specific—about whether he was aware of certain advice and, in another part of the question, relating to that, why that was the case. So the Acting Prime Minister has given some context but he needs to address the questions that were asked or wind up his answer.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To that point, I'm going to ask the minister for health to add some figures to my remarks.

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

To answer the member for Newcastle's question very specifically, 100 per cent of aged-care homes have had visits to offer vaccinations to residents; 94.9 per cent have already had second doses. There are some residents who, whether it is themselves or their carers, have not provided consent. This vaccination program is voluntary. If the member were advocating that it should not be voluntary, that would be a significant departure. So the correct answer is that 160,543 residents—

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

The minister will pause for a second. The Deputy Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order? I will hear it and then rule on it.

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance. The minister was talking about people not giving consent. What we're talking about is the difference between the number of residents who've had their first dose and the number who've had their second dose. That difference is 30,000. The department has only just published it.

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

No, the Deputy Manager of Opposition Business won't debate the matter. The minister for—

An opposition member interjecting—

No, he's not going to check his website; he's going to answer the question. The minister for health has the call.

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

Of those residents who've received first doses but not the second, there are 13,000 in the last five per cent. Where the shadow minister is mistaken is he's not aware or deliberately not referring to the fact that there are approximately 13.8 per cent of residents who did not accept or were not given consent for or were unable to accept a vaccination the first time. Very importantly, 86.2 per cent of residents accepted first doses. In addition to that, we are also offering those residents who did not accept first doses opportunities to do so through in-reach clinics or through the general practice program we announced on Monday of this week, which will empower up to 30,000 general practitioners to visit clinics. So 86.2 per cent of residents have accepted first doses, 100 per cent of facilities have been visited and, within the next short period, 100 per cent of facilities will have had second doses. (Time expired)

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government. Will the minister outline to the House how the coalition government is working to ensure all Australians, including those living in regional and remote areas, will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine?

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Grey for his question. All Australians can rest assured they will have access to vaccines and that's regardless of where they live or how remote they are. Regional Australia has done very well in managing the pandemic. Indeed, as I've said before in this House, probably the safest place on the planet for the last 18 months regarding COVID-19 has been regional Australia. The vaccines are rolling out. The Acting Prime Minister and the minister for health have mentioned that six million vaccines have been delivered right across Australia. I'm pleased to report that nearly 1.6 million of those have been in the regions and across 1,500 sites.

In regional Australia, we're using a variety of delivery methods. We have partnerships with state and territory governments—they're doing a great job in providing clinics—the Royal Flying Doctor Service, community pharmacies and, of course, our ever-present reliable GPs in country areas. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is going to deliver to 80 remote locations, 30,000 Australians. The innovation of that service—they've developed freezers that can run on the electric supply of those Royal Flying Doctor planes to deliver the Pfizer vaccine to remote locations. Indeed, Eucla, out on the Nullarbor was the first place to receive that. Not only did the locals turn up but people travelled large distances by aeroplane to receive that. The member for Grey's electorate, which represents such a large area of South Australia—the APY Lands, Yalata, Oak Valley—will receive vaccines delivered by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

We're also turning to community pharmacy. Last Monday I was in the member for Wright's electorate at Terry White's Pharmacy at Boonah. I witnessed the first vaccine delivered in regional Queensland by a pharmacy. The pharmacies will fill in the gaps where general practice and other facilities might not be available. We will see that roll out across Queensland and ultimately in other states as well.

We encourage all Australians to take up the opportunity. Just in finishing, last week a couple left Victoria and had a very long, in-depth and interesting trip through western New South Wales and visited many of the delights across the member for Riverina's electorate and my electorate. I have to say, those communities have stepped up. Large numbers of people are being tested. As of now, there are no positive cases. So regional Australians are doing their bit, they're stepping up when they need to, and the federal government is providing a way to make sure that the entire areas of regional areas of regional Australia are covered by the vaccine.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper, Mr Speaker.

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

I thank the Acting Prime Minister. The Acting Prime Minister indicated to me earlier he wishes to rise on a brief indulgence to be followed by the Leader of the Opposition. The Acting Prime Minister.