Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

At present, COVID-19 vaccines are not approved for children under the age of 12, unless there are exceptional or extenuating medical circumstances. So, at present, children are not approved to receive that vaccine. The government, through the Therapeutic Goods Administration, is reviewing the evidence in relation to childhood vaccination. The United States is one of the few countries in the world to have begun a population-wide rollout of vaccines to children. We now look forward to having the benefit of that data and evidence to inform the approvals process—the safety and the dosage rates and information—for Australian children. Once the TGA has completed its work, ATAGI will do likewise. Assuming approvals are granted, the government stands ready to both deliver and oversee the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to Australian children. We'll encourage all parents to do that once those safeguards are in place.