Covid-19 vaccine Qld: Plan to use Bunnings, Officeworks sites in rollout

Sausage sizzles won’t be the only extra service offered by Bunnings warehouses if a vaccine rollout plan comes to fruition.

Queenslanders could soon get their Covid-19 vaccination at a Bunnings or an Outback hotel, as the business sector volunteers to help speed up the rollout.

And those that do get the jab could be rewarded for it — not only with protection from the deadly virus, but with frequent-flyers points or in-store discounts.

Emerging from a roundtable with more than 30 of Australia’s top business minds, vaccine rollout lead Lieutenant-General John Frewen and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said tying in the private sector would mean better access to the Covid-19 vaccine.

This will be needed from about September and October, when Australia’s supply rapidly increases and there is little time left to reach the goal of immunising most of the country before the end of the year.

Mr Frydenberg said Australia’s weekly supply of Pfizer was set to increase from 300,000 to 700,000 by July-August, with the expectation stocks would surge to two million doses a week in October.

Supply of the Moderna jab would flow into the country from September.

A snag might not be the only extra offered by Bunnings if vaccine plans come to fruition.

Mr Frydenberg said businesses such as major conglomerate Wesfarmers – which own Bunnings and Officeworks – had offered their premises as potential vaccination sites.

He said representatives from the Minerals Council of Australia had volunteered to use their connections with Indigenous communities in remote parts of the country to ensure they were able to access the vaccine.

Business leaders agreed to reach out to all their staff to encourage them to get vaccinated, with some, like Qantas, to reach out to customers as well.

The Australian Hotel Association has also flagged the use of hotel in remote areas as future vaccine hubs.

Lt-Gen Frewen affirmed GPs, pharmacies, and government-run hubs would remain the “backbone” of Australia’s coronavirus vaccination program.

“As we get into those later months of October, November, December, with the supply that we will have, it will be really important for people to have a more diverse range of ways to access the vaccine,” he said.

“It will give us greater flexibility. It will give us greater choice, and will give us greater convenience.”

As of July 7, 9.8 per cent of Australians aged 16 and older had been fully vaccinated. in Queensland the figure was 9.6 per cent.

Incentives to get vaccinated likely won’t be in place until supply of Covid-19 jabs are plentiful.

“I think it is more than a snag at Bunnings that we are talking about as our potential opportunity for incentives,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“But the timing of those incentives are very important.”

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said the business sector would not be able to help with the rollout until there was enough vaccine.

And only when enough people are vaccinated will the threat of lockdowns loom less.

“We know from Melbourne, we know from Sydney, we know from lockdowns here in Brisbane and elsewhere around Australia, these are incredibly costly for workers, and small businesses, and for the economy more broadly,” he said.

Economic modelling by investment company AMP Capital put the cost of Queensland’s latest snap lockdown at $300 million, not including the 24-hour extension for Brisbane and the Moreton Bay region.

Originally published as Covid-19 vaccine Qld: Plan to use Bunnings, Officeworks sites in rollout