Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Colbeck. Today there are close to 70 COVID-19 cases in Wilcannia. Tragically it was reported yesterday that a First Nations man died from COVID-19 in Dubbo. New South Wales Deputy Premier, Nationals MP John Barilaro, has said today:

We know that the federal government's vaccination program at the start of the year identified the Indigenous communities as part of the 1A rollout, and it hadn't occurred, and that's something that they lost attention of ... we know earlier in the year the rollout wasn't anywhere where it needed to be.

Why did the Morrison-Joyce government lose attention and fail to ensure these communities were vaccinated, as planned, many months ago?