Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services (Senator Colbeck) to a question without notice asked by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Wong) today relating to the COVID-19 vaccination program.

Just three days ago, on 14 June, the Minister for Health and Aged Care told Australians:

… in terms of the vaccines that are available at this point, the Commonwealth has made AstraZeneca available on the medical advice for those that are over 50 …

He also said regarding the vaccine rollout:

… supply dictates the rollout, and we've provided advice on all of the confirmed supply that we have … So we obviously have very clear line of sight with regards to AstraZeneca. The states and territories have ample volumes of AstraZeneca.

Just a few minutes ago in question time, we had the minister representing the health minister tell us every Australian who wants a vaccine will have access to one by the end of the year, but what they can't tell us is how they're going to do this. Thoughts and prayers aren't going to cut it. Wishful thinking certainly won't deliver an adequate supply of the Pfizer vaccine, especially now we have changed health advice meaning more Australians will be wanting the Pfizer vaccine. Remember, this was the health minister who told Australians last month that for anyone hesitant to get the AstraZeneca shot there would be enough Pfizer for everyone by the end of the year. He then had to come out and correct this statement, telling us that in fact we shouldn't be waiting for Pfizer stocks to increase. Is your head spinning? Mine certainly is.

Is it any wonder Australians have lost trust in what this government is telling them about the vaccine rollout? Trust in the public health system is absolutely crucial to support vaccine uptake, and we cannot afford for this to be damaged by the bungling of the Morrison government. Improving access to COVID-19 vaccines is crucial to increasing uptake. It's crucial the government is honest with us about how long those under 60 may now have to wait to access the Pfizer vaccine. I know it is a big ask of the Morrison government to stop the spin machine and just tell us simply and clearly when all Australians under 60 can get their Pfizer shot. They also need to tell us exactly when they were first advised by ATAGI that they should be considering raising the age for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This inability to be clear and straight with us is impacting on individuals and communities. There is already vaccine hesitancy among some of our most vulnerable populations. Just last week a Central Australian Aboriginal medical centre was avoiding Pfizer vaccine waste by offering vaccines to non-Aboriginal people over the age of 50. Dr John Boffa, Chief Medical Officer of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, conceded there had been vaccine hesitancy among the Aboriginal population. In order to not waste a single dose, congress put friends and family of staff on a waiting list to use up any of the leftovers. I'm very pleased there was take-up here, but I'm also concerned that there was so much vaccine left over—and this is for Pfizer. We can't get figures on what percentage of the population in remote communities have taken up the vaccine offer; I've tried. Australian Medical Association Northern Territory President Dr Robert Parker has said concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine had already sparked fears and hesitancy. That was before today's announcement about the medical advice to raise the age.

I've been out there talking to families and Territorians, urging them to get the jab. I've also been urging the Morrison government to do its job and invest in a nationwide public awareness campaign, including translation into First Nations languages. The messaging by the federal government to the community, let alone to First Nations and those with second languages who are not First Nations—obviously multicultural communities—has really been lacking in this whole process. First Nations media did an amazing job at the start of this pandemic getting out messages about hygiene and movement restrictions to keep people in communities safe. Their efforts have been recognised internationally and held up as best practice, but they've not been funded to do the same thing when it comes to the vaccine rollout. There have been restrictions on the ability of First Nations media and other organisations to craft their own messages in language and at the community level to encourage vaccine take-up.