Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Babet for the question and for his advice, ahead of time, that he was going to ask a question on this. It greatly assists in being able to provide the information that the senator is seeking.

As the senator outlined, the COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme was put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the announcement of the approval of the vaccines and the vaccine program across Australia. The scheme was established as a fit-for-purpose time limited claim scheme to respond to the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19. It was designed to ensure that people who have suffered a recognised adverse event as a direct result of the COVID vaccine have faster access to compensation than a costly and complex court process.

There are seven recognised clinical conditions that are eligible under the scheme, which I can go through. Specifically, in relation to Senator Babet's question, there was a provision of $77 million made. Total expenditure as of 28 March 2023 is in the order of $7.2 million. Services Australia, who administer the scheme, has received 3,374 claims under the scheme. At the moment, 126 claims have been approved for that total figure of just around $7.2 million.