GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO COME CLEAN ON FIRST NATIONS VACCINATIONS

MARK BUTLER MP.
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2 years ago
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO COME CLEAN ON FIRST NATIONS VACCINATIONS
MARK BUTLER MP
Labor is calling on the Government to publish daily data on local First Nations vaccination rates and on the availability of vaccines.

The Government needs to be honest about the failure of the vaccine rollout for First Nations Australians.

The lockdown of Walgett Shire has exposed the low vaccination rates among First Nations people, in particular in regional and remote communities.

The Prime Minister said the vaccine rollout in First Nations communities would be a priority. They were in phase 1b of the rollout – a group that was supposed to be fully vaccinated by winter. 

But the reality is that just eight per cent of First Nations people in western NSW are fully vaccinated. Just 14 per cent nationally.

And with questions about the capacity of local health facilities to meet any potential outbreak – this is a tragedy waiting to happen.

The Prime Minister needs to be held accountable on his promise to make First Nations vaccination a priority. This data will ensure supplies and resources can be deployed where they are needed, and that no community is left out. 

The vaccine rollout is a race. If the Prime Minister hadn’t botched the vaccine rollout, communities wouldn’t be pitted against each other for the vaccines they need. 
Health and Aged Care