Call for government to release vaccination data for First Nations people
One high-risk group of Australians has been left behind in the vaccine rollout, with calls for the PM to be ‘held accountable’
Labor is calling on Scott Morrison to publicly release data on first nations vaccination rates which they say would expose his “failure” to protect the high-risk group.
Under the current roll out plan, Indigenous Australians aged 55 and over have been classified as a 1B priority group since March. In June, it was expanded to all Indigenous people aged 16 and over.
But there is growing concern the vaccination rates of First Nations people are lagging behind the rest of the nation. Just 14 per cent of First Nations people nationally are fully vaccinated compared to the overall national rate of 25 per cent.
Figures released by the federal government show vaccination rates in Western Australia’s Kimberley and Pilbara regions are lagging at 8.6 per cent. It’s among the lowest in the nation.
Unlike New Zealand, the Australian Government does not provide a breakdown of vaccination rates for our First Nations people. It’s an oversight that opposition Indigenous Australians spokesman and Wiradjuri woman Linda Burney insists must change.
Labor is calling on the government to release daily data on local First Nations vaccination rates and on the availability of vaccines.
“The lockdown of Walgett Shire has exposed the low vaccination rates among First Nations people, in particular in regional and remote communities,” she told NCA Newswire.
“But the issue of First Nations vaccination now as it stands must begin with accountability and transparency. And that means publishing their data and being able to identify the areas that lack supply, and ensuring they don’t get left behind.
“These are such reasonable asks, what has the Government got to hide?”
It follows a similar call from National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, who last week demanded greater transparency amid fears the lack of vaccine data could leave big gaps for communities to be exposed to the virus.
In a statement, the federal health department would only provide the nationwide vaccination figure, and did not respond to a request for a breakdown of First Nations’ vaccination rates by location or age group.
“At 13 August 2021, approximately 167,084 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine (approximately 28.7% of eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 16 and over) and 85,175 (14.6%) have received their second dose,” a spokeswoman said.
“Jurisdictions can formally request their LGA data from the Commonwealth and it will be provided to them. The Taskforce shares Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vaccination rates with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19, which is co-chaired by NACCHO and the Taskforce to inform the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vaccination rollout program.
“Data on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been published according to the format agreed by states and territories and the Commonwealth at National Cabinet and daily updates are available to view on the Department of Health website.”
Last week, Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt urged people to get vaccinated, warning Covid-19 was “not a white man’s disease”.
“People are hesitant because of social media. What they're reading is what anti-vaxxers are posting,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“The young ones are saying don't get vaccinated, it’s a white man’s disease. It’s not.”
When asked, Ms Burney said the government should not be trying to shift the blame for it’s “failure” onto communities.
“Vaccine hesitancy is merely a broader symptom of the Government’s mixed messages and vaccine rollout failure,” she told NCA Newswire.
“So many people want to get vaccinated but simply can’t and their frustration is palpable.”
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