Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Government Services and Minister for the NDIS, Senator Reynolds. How many children with a disability in Australia have had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Government Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. Can I just clarify: you're talking about those aged from 12 to 15? Sorry, I missed some of the question.

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

I think we've got really iterative, but I'll allow Senator O'Neill to clarify the question.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, it's children with disability, including those aged from 12 to 15.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Government Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation, first of all, to the under-12 children with disability, as the senator would know, no country in the world has vaccinations yet for under-12s. In relation to 12- to 15-year-olds—

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

Are you raising a point of order, Senator O'Neill?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. Just because there was a little lack of clarity, I'll ask the question again. It wasn't about—

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

No, Senator O'Neill; I'm sorry. The minister asked you to clarify. The question was, 'How many children with disability have had a first dose of the vaccine?' The minister is being directly relevant by answering the question in the form she is. I can't instruct her how to answer. It's not long till the debate on questions after question time.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Government Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr President. That's why I sought the clarification, because, obviously, there are different cohorts of children's ages. However, if the senator is referring to 12- to 15-year-olds, I can confirm that this week I confirmed publicly that all participants aged 12 to 15, of whom there are 48,308, were now eligible for the Pfizer vaccination nationwide. Since that announcement—it opened yesterday—we have had already over 1,056 participants in this cohort receive a vaccination.

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

Senator O'Neill, a supplementary question?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sydney mother Heike Fabig, whose son Bodhi lives with multiple disabilities, including neuropathy, has said:

It took me eight attempts and eight dead ends before by pure sheer coincidence, I found somewhere that would vaccinate my child.

Why has the Morrison-Joyce government left it up to sheer luck for children with disabilities to be vaccinated?

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Government Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I just say that is one of the most ridiculously dangerous questions to ask in this place. It is a bit reminiscent of the Greens question today. We have over 8,000 locations people can book, including several thousand in New South Wales. To give you an idea, since I've become minister we have provided new ways of getting people vaccinated. Yesterday we announced the Pfizer vaccinations, and there are over 8,000 locations, including 2,500 in New South Wales. Providing safe access to vaccinations not just for people with disability but also for their families and carers is a priority. At the moment, we're vaccinating 1.8 million people each week and we are also providing new ways. Since we started the new approach, 90,000 NDIS participants have been vaccinated. That rate has been increasing exponentially over the last few weeks. (Time expired)

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

Senator O'Neill, a final supplementary question?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sure the mothers are listening very carefully. Sydney mother Yolande Cailly, whose 14-year-old daughter Zoe has Down syndrome, was forced in desperation to turn to Twitter to find a vaccine appointment. The risk of dying of COVID-19 for people with Down syndrome is 36 times higher than for the general population. How many children with disabilities will remain unvaccinated, unprotected and at risk when Australia reaches the 70 and 80 per cent targets for Australians over 16?

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Government Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I can confirm that there are thousands of ways and locations for people to get vaccinated in New South Wales at the moment, given the number of cases and the number of vaccinations that are occurring. There are two ways she can also try: through her local pharmacist and her local GP. I know many of them are giving priority to parents and children and workers in the disability sector.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.

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