Prime Minister takes a swipe at WA and SA over booster shots

Scott Morrison has taken a thinly veiled swipe at two states over booster shots as new vaccine mandate rules come into effect.

Scott Morrison has made a dig at South Australia and Western Australia over their stance on Covid-19 booster shots.

Both states have mandated the third jabs for health workers, with WA even making it a requirement for some other industries too.

But the Prime Minister on Thursday appeared to be at loggerheads with both states.

“Just because someone becomes eligible for a booster, does not mean that if they have not had their booster by that day they are overdue,” he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke to reporters in Canberra after the national cabinet meeting on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

“That is something that’s been pedalled out there which is not accurate, it’s not true.

“You become eligible from a particular date and from that date, we encourage people to go and have their booster.

“To suggest that if someone has not had their booster by that date that they are somehow overdue is false.”

WA was the first jurisdiction to mandate the third dose.

It covers industries including aged care, health, quarantine staff, mining and essential workers.

Premier Mark McGowan said at the time that he also expected to eventually extend the mandate to anyone wanting to attend events, such as sport and concerts.

I just rolled up for WA again, as it was time to get my third dose.

We know that a third dose is so important in providing protection against the new Omicron variant. pic.twitter.com/MT0fTPnstT

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) December 29, 2021

SA Premier Steven Marshall announced this week that his government would “likely” make it compulsory for frontline healthcare, aged care and disability workers to have their third dose within two weeks of becoming eligible.

Only once they get that booster shot, they will they be considered fully vaccinated.

So far across Australia, 2.3m of the 3.9m people eligible for their booster shot has had the jab, which represents about 57 per cent.

Originally published as Prime Minister takes a swipe at WA and SA over booster shots