Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Will the minister please update the House on how GPs and pharmacies across the country are contributing to the record number of vaccinations being administered every day, like Dr Magda Campbell from MC Family Medical Practice in my electorate of Berowra?

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

I want to thank the member for Berowra not just for his question but for his passion for mental health and for suicide prevention and his focus on his community during this very challenging time. As I mentioned earlier, this pandemic continues to rage around the world, with over 700,000 cases in the last 24 hours and 14½ thousand lives lost. Those figures remind us of the global challenge.

Against that background, Australians have been stepping forward, There have been 335,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours—a rate which means that we are now vaccinating on a higher seven-day rolling average than at any time in the US or the UK rollouts. At the heart of that have been our GPs and our pharmacists. Our primary care deliverers are approaching 10 million vaccinations—the lion's share of now over 18 million vaccinations. They've worked in difficult circumstances. They've changed their hours and opened their practices, and they have helped save lives and protect lives on a grand scale. Our pharmacies and our GPs did this through all of the phases. All of those people employed in that work have been absolute heroes. What we see now is that 55.2 per cent of eligible Australians have had a first vaccination, and the majority of them have done it through our primary care networks.

Magda Campbell, the founder of the MC Family Medical Practice, has been in business, I believe, for over 35 years. As a consequence of that, she's been passionate about supporting her community. Over 2,300 vaccines have been delivered through this one practice alone. Equally, the TerryWhite pharmacy in Hornsby has stepped up recently and entered the program and delivered over 250 vaccines already. And those two businesses are emblematic of over 5,200 general practices and over 2½ thousand pharmacies—a number which will grow, by the end of this week, to 2,900 pharmacies. All of these practitioners are committed to supporting Australians. What we've seen is healthcare workers who have helped deliver, as part of the 6.7 million vaccines administered in the last 30 days. Melbourne, Adelaide, Wollongong—the full populations of those all done in the last 30 days. Our GPs and our pharmacists have been at the heart of it. We thank them. We honour them.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. When will all 12- to15-year-olds in Australia be fully vaccinated? Will the Prime Minister commit to including them in the 70 and 80 per cent thresholds?

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

As I've already foreshadowed, 12- to 15-year-olds in Australia will be vaccinated. The plan for the vaccination of 12- to 15-year-olds will be addressed by the national security committee on COVID this afternoon. At that meeting, we expect to receive the final advice from ATAGI that is necessary to enable that process to commence. General Frewen has been preparing that plan in anticipation of that, and we'll make further announcements after that process has been completed. The national cabinet will be meeting tomorrow. I'll have the opportunity to inform them of those arrangements, and they will, of course, have an important involvement in that process in relation to 12- to 15-year-olds.

The Doherty institute, which has provided the scientific modelling that has formed the basis of the national plan, has made it very clear that they have not considered it necessary to include 12- to 15-year-olds in the overall vaccination targets, but that does not mean that they shouldn't be vaccinated. Of course they should be vaccinated, and the government will ensure that they are vaccinated. That is very important. I have two daughters aged 12 and 14, and I think it's very important that they become vaccinated, and they will be. There are 1.2 million children in the cohort of 12- to 15-year-olds who will need to be vaccinated, and, as I have already mentioned today in question time, 1.9 million vaccine doses were administered in just one week, so it is entirely possible.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

I note the interjection from the member for Ballarat. The answer to her question is contained in the advice provided to the government by the Doherty institute. If she wants to take issue with that advice, then she can. But we are going to continue to act consistent with that advice because we believe that that advice has been incredibly helpful in framing the national plan. I want to make it very clear to the parents of Australia that the government will be ensuring that we vaccinate children aged 12 to 15, consistent with the very clear medical advice that we will be receiving, and we'll be doing that as an important priority, together with the vaccination of the broader population. The minister for health may wish to add to the answer in the very little time remaining.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

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

The member for Ballarat is now warned.

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

To address the issue directly, as responded to by Professor Sharon Lewin, the head of the Doherty institute, in her interview on 23 August, only a few days ago: 'The additional benefit of 12- to 15-year-olds is not great in reducing transmission. We know that in 12- to 15-year-olds COVID is a nasty illness and we don't want children to get it, but very few children end up with severe disease or in hospital. That doesn't mean that 12- to 15-year-olds shouldn't be vaccinated. Yes, they should. Will they make a big difference to the modelling or opening up the plan? They don't make a big difference.' That was in response to the exact question posed by the opposition. That's why they have provided the advice to the government that the correct national cohort is 16-plus.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

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

The member for Ballarat has been warned. She's been asked to cease interjecting about 10 times. Do you want to walk or—

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Yes, I am. You can leave under 94(a).

The member for Ballarat then left the chamber.