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

[by video link] My question is for the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Nearly 600 aged-care centres across Australia, less than half the workforce, have had their first vaccine dose. Given the government's announced mandate for workforce vaccination starts in just over three weeks, can the government guarantee that there will be enough vaccinated aged-care workers to care for vulnerable older Australians?

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

Yes is the simple answer, and the reason is that, at this stage, what we are seeing is a dramatic increase in aged-care worker vaccinations as a result of the national cabinet decision. It was a difficult and challenging decision, and I'm pleased that all of the premiers and chief ministers supported the initiative of the Prime Minister and the AHPPC to support and encourage aged-care workers to take up the vaccine. I'm actually very pleased to be able to say that that number has increased significantly—almost five per cent in one day—and 76.1 per cent of aged-care workers now have had a vaccination. That is as a result of inreach programs and outreach programs.

The programs that we've put in place include general practice visits, the state vaccine clinics, the Commonwealth vaccine clinics, the roving clinics, the inreach clinics—and these clinics are being provided through self-vaccination, which has been a highly effective mechanism I've mentioned before. TLC and Lou Pascuzzi and his team in Victoria have done an extraordinary job. They've created and provided a national model which is being rolled out. We have vaccination service providers which are providing those vaccines around the country, and we also have, in relation to that, the inreach work of general practices and primary health networks that are assisting. So there are multiple pathways for those vaccinations. Indeed, we have had over 670 onsite clinics organised recently by residential aged-care providers themselves, as I mentioned. There have been dedicated aged-care clinics recently for 585 RACFs—residential aged-care facilities. So all of these things are occurring.

There is another thing that is happening at the same time, and I think this is very important and pleasing. There were those residents for whom consent was not given either by the resident or their family, even though we had visited all facilities. Through these programs on inreach we've seen the number of residents increase successively from 85 to 86, 87, 88 and, now, 88.4 per cent of residents. Many of them have had their doubts, or their families have not been supportive, so all of these things—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, on direct relevance. I absolutely respect the information that the health minister is offering the House. The question is quite specifically about the aged-care workforce.

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

Yes, that's true. The question is whether he is being relevant to the question—and I think he is being relevant to it—and whether he has answered the question. He did it in one word at the beginning of his answer. So I'll keep listening. While he's on the policy topic, I think he's fine. I have, of course, sat him down before, but that was for a different reason! The minister has the call.

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

Thank you for the guidance, Mr Speaker. But, on that point, the fact is that we have now reached 88.4 per cent of residents. It is a voluntary vaccination for residents and it is a voluntary vaccination for workers, but it is a workplace requirement if they wish to work in that situation.

What we've seen through the work of Operation COVID Shield is an extraordinary uplift. The public health orders—six states and territories have now implemented them—have also made a difference. And the publication of the vaccination rates, which we did consciously, has also driven action. All of these things are coming together to protect our elderly Australians. (Time expired)