Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Colbeck. More than two months ago ATAGI and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommended that Pfizer be offered to pregnant women at any stage in their pregnancy. Why did it take the Morrison government a further six weeks to include pregnant women as a priority in the vaccine rollout and a further two weeks to update the national Vaccine Eligibility Checker?

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

[by video link] All the way through the pandemic the government has continued to closely follow the health advice provided to us by the AHPPC, by the TGA and by ATAGI. As those pieces of advice have been made available we've incorporated those pieces of advice into the vaccine rollout, and that's what we'll continue to do. We have continued to work methodically through the expansion of the vaccination program to ensure that people who need a vaccine are able to get one as soon as possible and also to incorporate into the vaccination program the appropriate advice coming from the health officials that support us. We have continued to do that at the first opportunity—

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

Senator Wong, a point of order?

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

We have left this point of order for a minute, because I understand that the minister was talking generally. It was a specific question, not about expansion generally but about the eligibility of pregnant women. And I would ask the minister to be directly relevant to that question.

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

I've let you restate the question. The way I heard the minister's answer, he was talking about advice received from various health bodies and incorporating it into a government program. I do not believe that that is not directly relevant. I've allowed you to restate the point of the question. There's an opportunity to debate the merit of answers after question time. But I believe the minister is being directly relevant.

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

And the government will continue to methodically and, in accordance with the health advice received from those advising the government, update the advice provided to Australians in support of their receiving a vaccine. We know that the vaccination program has been worked initially based on cohorts, and then there was a decision made through a national cabinet to change that process to work on the basis of age demographics rather than specific cohorts within the community. We have at all times methodically followed the health advice, and we will continue to do that in support of giving every Australian who wants a vaccine the opportunity to have one by the end of this year.

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

Senator McAllister, a supplementary question?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Katrina, who is due to give birth in less than two weeks at Blacktown Hospital, in the epicentre of the Sydney outbreak, has been unable to secure an appointment. How many pregnant women in New South Wales have been denied access to vaccines as a result of the Morrison government's failure to secure enough supplies?

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

[by video link] I don't accept the characterisation of the question as put by Senator McAllister. We have been very, very open with the Australian people. We've published the supply data for vaccines to demonstrate the availability of vaccines that would be coming into this country to support the vaccination rollout. We've been very, very open with people. We have opened the vaccination program to various age cohorts progressively as supply has enabled us to do that, and we've done that progressively and in cooperation with the states. So I don't accept that people have been denied access to a vaccine. We have continued to develop and grow the rollout. We've been very transparent with Australians by publishing the supply data so that they could understand the availability of vaccines as they came into the country, and the vaccination program rolled out and continues to set records every day.

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

Senator McAllister, a final supplementary question?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] One 34-year-old pregnant woman who was unable to be vaccinated due to a shortage of supplies asked this: 'What's the point of adding us to 1b of the rollout if you don't have vaccines for us anyway?' What does the minister have to say to Australian women who have been left at increased risk of severe illness and complications for their babies because Mr Morrison failed to secure enough supplies?

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

[by video link] The government hasn't failed to secure enough supplies. There are plenty of supplies that will be coming into this country to enable everyone who wants a vaccine to access one by the end of the year. We've been completely transparent with the Australian people with respect to the projections for vaccines as they come into the country.

Senator Hughes interjecting—

Senator Wong interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Colbeck, I will ask you to stop. I can't hear a word you are saying.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Order across the chamber! 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've been completely transparent with the Australian people with respect to supply. We have published the supply projections for vaccines so that people understand which vaccines are coming into the country and when they're coming into the country. So the Labor Party can play its games, it can attempt to undermine confidence in the vaccine rollout, as it has consistently done, but we will continue to provide opportunities in an increasing sense for Australians to physically access a vaccine through the number of outlets and also for supply. (Time expired)