Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Scarr for his question. Australia's COVID-19 vaccination rollout continues to expand. To date more than 17.7 million doses have been administered to Australians across the country. I'm pleased to report that first-dose vaccinations for our residential-care workforce, who are looking after our most vulnerable, are at 76 per cent today. I want to thank all the carers, nurses and in fact all those who work in aged care for turning out to get a vaccine. I urge those who haven't had their vaccine yet to take up that opportunity by 17 September. The Department of Health has been working with each residential aged-care facility to ensure plans are in place to provide support where needed, to ensure every residential aged-care worker has access to a vaccine prior to 17 September. National cabinet agreed that the COVID-19 vaccination of residential aged-care workers will become mandatory by this date. That is when residential aged-care workers must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage aged-care providers to keep supporting their workforce. There are a number of channels open to support them to do that, including the government's in-reach services, vaccinating their own staff, and using Commonwealth and state vaccination clinics and GPs and pharmacies. All states and territories have agreed to use their public health orders to enforce vaccination for workers. Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory have all implemented public health orders based on that advice.