Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's a very lame act to follow. My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'll allow Senator Chisholm to start again, because I can't hear him.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Colbeck. I refer to disturbing reports today that two elderly Queensland aged-care residents, aged 94 and 88, have been given four times the recommended dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by a doctor contracted through the federal government, with one of those residents being hospitalised as a result. How has this mistake been allowed to occur?

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

I thank the senator for the question; it's a very important question. Can I say at the outset that I think I might have said an incorrect number in my previous answer. I said four million instead of four billion, so I would like to correct the record on that, to start with.

The circumstance that occurred in Queensland yesterday should not have happened. It should not have happened. The government is just as concerned as anybody else in this chamber with respect to the circumstance that occurred in Queensland yesterday. What occurred, on my advice, is there was a clinical incident at a scheduled vaccination clinic, at the Holy Spirit Home at Carseldine in Queensland, where the vaccination provider dispensed more than the prescribed dose of the Pfizer vaccine to two residents. My understanding is that they are both currently in hospital, but, fortunately, they are both well at this stage. They are both okay, which is quite important for us all to understand.

Both families have been advised of the incident, and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, has been commissioned to conduct a thorough investigation of the circumstances of this event. Once the circumstances are understood, the VOC will work with the provider to implement the appropriate safeguards to prevent these events occurring again. The doses were both administered by a GP working on behalf of Healthcare Australia, who, obviously, are the contractor for providing the service in Queensland.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chisholm, a supplementary question?

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 16 February 2021, in a joint press release with the minister for health, Minister Colbeck is quoted as saying:

… the Australian Government would be responsible for leading the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program in the aged care sector.

Does this minister accept responsibility on behalf of the Morrison government for this mistake?

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

The senator is correct in the fact that we have contracted as a federal government two companies to undertake the vaccination rollout in aged-care facilities across the country, and this is a very important rollout process, as I have indicated on a number of occasions over the last two weeks. The fact that we have now commenced the vaccination rollout in aged-care facilities to protect senior Australians is one of the most important things that we will do as a part of the COVID-19 recovery process.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, on a point of order?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance—the minister has been asked whether or not he accepts responsibility on behalf of the government for this mistake, and I'd ask you to remind him of the question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My view—and I will take advice from the Clerk on this—is if the minister is keeping his comments to a narrow construction of the question and the question referred to the Commonwealth responsibility or the Australian responsibility for the rollout of the aged-care program, I cannot go to the content of his answer. He is not free to talk about anything else, but I think that is directly relevant. As I said earlier, I will take some advice from the Clerk about this, but I believe I am being asked to direct him on content.

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

Thank you, Mr President. The government is being quite open and upfront about this whole process. In fact, the health minister came out this morning and conducted a press conference with the Chief Medical Officer to inform people of the circumstances. We have been working with the Queensland Chief Health Officer in relation to it and we are doing everything we possibly can to ensure the integrity of the rollout program, because we do take responsibility for it across the nation to ensure senior Australians are protected from COVID-19.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chisholm, a final supplementary question?

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Lincoln Hopper, CEO of St Vincent's Care Services, has said that the mistake has 'caused us to question whether some of the clinicians given the job of administering the vaccine have received the appropriate training'. Why has the government neglected to ensure proper training in the rollout of the vaccine?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! We will get to this last answer when there is some modicum of order across the chamber.

Government senators interjecting—

Order, Senator Canavan, Senator Ayres, Senator McKenzie and Senator Rennick. I call Senator Colbeck to answer the question.

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

This is an important question. I acknowledge this is a very important question. The vaccines were administered by a trained general practitioner—a doctor. The doctor has been stood down pending an investigation by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, as I've indicated before. A full investigation is being undertaken by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer in conjunction with the Queensland Chief Health Officer and the local PHN. We appreciate the cooperation of the Queensland Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young, as a part of this process. Our determination is to ensure that this rollout occurs effectively, appropriately and safely for all Australians, particularly those in aged care. There is a training program that was in place for those who were rolling out the program— (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on notice.