Jabs for Victorian kids on top of premier’s wish list as public servants set to return to the office

Daniel Andrews has revealed getting vaccines into the arms of Victorian kids is at the front of his mind ahead of National Cabinet on Friday.

Kids’ Covid-19 vaccines are at the top of a wishlist Daniel Andrews and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet will take to national cabinet on Friday, where international borders will also be discussed.

The Victorian Premier and his NSW counterpart have teamed up to push Scott Morrison on several issues at the first leaders’ meeting in over a month.

Mr Andrews has also flagged that “a very significant” number of public servants would soon begin their return to the office in a bid to boost the economy.

“The Premier of NSW and I will be putting a number of very important things to the Prime Minister and by the end of the meeting, if not before, he’ll be in no doubt about what Victoria and NSW needs,” Mr Andrews said.

“Victoria and NSW are in very similar circumstances and it’s very important that we provide that leadership given the unique experiences we’ve been through.”

Daniel Andrews has teamed up with the NSW Premier ahead of national cabinet. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

He remained tight-lipped as to exactly what was on the wishlist but said vaccines for kids would be a key talking point, after the US issued Pfizer emergency approval for kids aged 5-11 years to get their Covid-19 jab.

“We don’t have a paediatric vaccine at this point – we will do though,” Mr Andrews said.

“It would be great to think that we could make a dent into that before the school year ended, rather than having them out and about all over the summer, doing what kids do, having fun, but without the protection of being at least first dosed.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said Pfizer had started its Australians application, which the Therapeutic Goods Administration would work through as quickly as possible.

“As soon as the medical regulator is ready and they’ve done all of the work to ensure that it’s safe and effective, we have the doses; we have the distribution system,” he said.

But international paediatric vaccine experts are warning that any decision to vaccinate all children under 12 years of age against Covid-19 must be done with due caution, considering in detail the risk and benefits.

State and territory leaders will on Friday receive an update on the vaccine program – including whether jabs should be mandatory for disability and home care workers by the end of the year – when they meet to discuss Australia’s reopening efforts.

About 100,000 people have already received a booster shot, ahead of the program officially commencing on Monday.

Leaders will also discuss international border arrangements ahead of a travel bubble commencing with Singapore on November 21, an update on the quarantine system review and health system capacity.

Mr Hunt said Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton was among CHOs who reaffirmed his belief in the capacity of their states’ hospitals.

The Doherty Institute will also provide an update on its modelling, with Australia on Friday due to administer the jabs needed to pass the national 80 per cent double dose rate.

PUBLIC SERVANTS BACK TO THE OFFICE

Daniel Andrews has flagged that “a very significant” number of public servants would soon begin their return to the office in a bid to boost the economy.

“We’ll have some announcements to make soon,” the premier said.

Mr Andrews said work-from-home measures were no longer a concept for many people.

“It used to be a reality for a small number and a concept for lots of others. Now people have done that, I think the way in which we work is bound to change,” he said.

Mr Andrews said he was still confident that Victoria would transition to greater freedoms on November 24, when the state is expected to reach its 90 per cent double dose target.

There will soon be a push for workers to return to the office. Picture: Paul Jeffers

But the push to get workers back at the office wasn’t necessarily linked to a specific milestone, he said.

“They’re not so much triggers, they’re just consequent to a number of changes we’ve indicated we’re going to make. I think that the natural flow-on is more people back in the office, more people moving around and getting very close to normal,” he said.

“When there’s no more caps, no more limits, and you’re only wearing masks where it’s really sensitive, that’s going to see us the closest to normal we’ve been in a couple of years.”

The premier hinted that Victoria was set to host a “big program of events” throughout the summer months, with further announcements to come.

Outdoor diners in Hardware Lane after restrictions lifted. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake

“That will include getting people back to work, and all the things that kind of hang off that,” he added.

“Whether it’s lunch or dinner time, drinks after work, all of that is part of the Victorian economy. That’s no less important than these construction jobs.”

He also flagged a desire to increase the number of public transport services over the coming months, as commuters start to gain confidence to travel on the network again.

“We’ve tried to run a steady timetable all through the pandemic. We’ve run more services then Sydney and what we’re very keen to do is to see that grow,” he said.

It comes on a day where Victoria recorded a spike in cases, often referred to as the “Thursday bump”.

There were 1247 local infections and nine deaths reported on Thursday, up from 941 on Wednesday.

There are 660 Victorians in hospital with the virus, including 114 in ICU and 78 on a ventilator.

Mr Andrews said the fact that hospitalisation rates had continued to dip was a good sign.

“Hospitalisation numbers are the key numbers … That is a very positive trend. That is not to say that it will hold fast, we have to monitor that every single day,” he added.