Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Colbeck. On at least 11 occasions in budget estimates, this minister refused to say whether or not the Morrison government is responsible for vaccinating aged-care workers. Can the minister confirm today whether the Morrison government is responsible for vaccinating aged-care workers—yes or no?

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

Thanks, Senator Watt, for the question. Clearly, the Australian government is responsible for the vaccination rollout to Australians all across the country. So, in that context, we are responsible for the management of the vaccination rollout for everybody. We as a government have taken particular responsibility and we indicated publicly that we would organise the vaccination specifically of residents and workers in residential aged care. We made that announcement very early in the vaccine rollout.

Unfortunately, we received a couple of pieces of advice that meant that we had to reassess our vaccine rollout process. Firstly—and I've indicated this to the Senate in Senate estimates, as Senator Watt very well knows—we received advice that we should not vaccinate residents and the workforce at the same time as it wouldn't be safe to do so. So we followed that advice, and we continued with our process of vaccinating the residents in aged care, and I'm very pleased to say that that 100 per cent of aged-care facilities across this country have received a first-dose visit and 94.2 per cent of those facilities have now received a second-dose visit. So we are very close to having vaccinated our aged-care residents.

Then we received some advice that indicated that we should change the way that we utilise the AstraZeneca vaccine. So that meant that we had to again re-pivot the rollout for vaccines to the workforce. So we went back to national cabinet and we got agreement from the states and the territories that they would work with us to vaccinate the workforce. So we are working with them. We are offering five different mechanisms to vaccinate the workforce across the country.

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

Senator Watt, a supplementary question?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 7 January this year, the Prime Minister said:

I think, you know, there are more important people who need to get vaccinated, frankly, than me and the Health Minister, and the Premiers, for that matter. They're the aged care workers …

Almost four months after Mr Morrison received his first dose, how many aged-care workers are still waiting for their first dose?

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

Mr President—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

I've got lots of followers, Mr President! It is important that the aged-care workforce gets vaccinated, and that's why we worked with the national cabinet to put in place where, cooperatively with the states, we would vaccinate the workforce. So we did take our responsibility seriously. We've worked with the states, and a number of the states have had periods of time where they've accelerated access to the vaccine for the aged-care workforce. So we have taken that responsibility, and we will continue to do so. We continue to work cooperatively with the states—

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

Order, Senator Colbeck. Senator Watt, on a point of order.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, Mr President. I'm conscious there are only 21 seconds to go and I'm keen to get an answer to my question, which is: how many aged-care workers are still waiting for their first dose?

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

I've reminded senators asking questions before. I've allowed you to remind the minister of—

Senator Watt interjecting—

If you could listen when I rule, Senator Watt. I've reminded senators that, where a question is highly specific in nature without a preamble, the test of direct relevance is strictly applied, and I have done so. I've allowed you to remind the minister of the concluding part of your question, which did include that specific element. But you did include a quotation before that, and the minister is entitled to be directly relevant if he's addressing that quotation. Senator Colbeck.

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

Thank you, Mr President. We continue to work with the states and territories, aged-care providers and the medical workforce around this country to vaccinate all of those who need a vaccination, and quite clearly aged-care workers have had priority. As of the latest statement that I have, 46,273 have received their first dose and 40,256 have received their second dose. (Time expired)

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

Senator Watt, a final supplementary question?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Morrison government promised that aged-care workers would be fully vaccinated by Easter. When will Mr Morrison finally deliver on this promise and ensure that all aged-care workers are fully vaccinated?

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

It's really quite dishonest that the Labor Party continue to repeat statements that don't take into account the changing circumstances that have occurred since those statements were made. It's really quite dishonest. We recognise the importance of vaccinating the workforce in aged care. That's why we've offered them so many different pathways to accessing a vaccine, whether that be through their GP, whether that be through a state Pfizer clinic, whether that be through a Commonwealth GP respiratory clinic, or whether that be through an inreach program that's supported by the aged-care provider. We have put in place a number of different mechanisms to support the aged-care workforce in receiving their vaccine. It is important that they do so, and we will continue to work through all of those avenues to make sure that every aged-care worker in this country has access to a vaccine should they want one.