David Littleproud defends stalled COVID-19 vaccine rollout to people in disability care accomodation

Senior federal government Cabinet Minister David Littleproud insists it is good enough that just 4 per cent of people in disability care accommodation have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

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But the Prime Minister has conceded his government needed to do more to ensure people in disability care received vaccinations against the deadly coronavirus.

People in disability accommodation facilities are included in Phase 1A of the rollout. 

But just 999 have received a shot, which is less than 4 per cent of the people living in the facilities. 

Mr Littleproud, when asked if that figure was “good enough”, said “yes, because it’s part of the scheduled rollout”.

“The fact we haven’t had cases here in Australia to the extent of everywhere else in the world, we can make sure that we can do this rollout properly with confidence and instill confidence in the community in every sector,” he said on Tuesday.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, on Monday, said he expected the rollout of vaccines to people with a disability would lift in the coming weeks.

“We’ve got to step up the performance there and there’s no doubt about that,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday morning.

But the opposition has accused the government of failing to protect vulnerable Australians

Labor’s National Disability Insurance Scheme spokesman Bill Shorten said the figures showed an “appalling” failure to protect vulnerable Australians.

“For these people, they can’t even leave their home,” he told Channel Nine.

“During the COVID lockdown, they had carers not turn up. So, COVID has not ended for people who are extremely vulnerable to COVID.”

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 55 seconds1m 55s Jordon Steele-John hits out at the CEO of Virgin after she called for open borders even though ‘some people may die’. Senator slams Virgin boss

The revelation about the rollout in disability care accommodation came as the business community continues to advocate for Australia’s international border to open before the middle of 2022, as forecast in the federal budget.

Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, has demaded the boss of Virgin Australia put a number on how many Australians she thought was acceptable to die if international borders were reopened.

Jayne Hrdlicka has said Australia needed a plan to reopen its international borders, taking into account the COVID-19 threat.

She said while some people might die as a result, it would be fewer than those who die from the flu.

Senator Steele-John said people living with a disability are among those at greatest risk of being infected with coronavirus.

“As a disabled person, who is part of that community, that is extraordinarily offensive language, and that needs to be called out,” he said.

“If you look at the cohorts that are most at risk of COVID-19, it’s older people, it’s First Nations people, it’s disabled people.

“We are human Venn diagrams of risk when it comes to COVID-19.”

Virgin boss Jane Hrdlicka wants the international border to open before the middle of 2022.(

Supplied: Queensland University of Technology

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Speaking at a business function hosted by the Queensland University of Technology on Monday, Ms Hrdlicka argued Australia needed to discuss opening the borders as the vaccine rollout ramped up, according to the university’s media unit.

“We can’t keep [COVID] out forever,” she reportedly said.

“It will make us sick but won’t put us into hospital. Some people may die but it will be way smaller than the flu.”

But Mr Littleproud said the government was in “no hurry” to open up to the world.

“The federal government will take its advice from the chief medical adviser, not CEOs from corporate companies in Australia.

“That is what has kept Australia safe.

“That is the role that we have played as the federal government. We have listened to the scientific evidence to make sure that Australia is leading the world.”