The Prime Minister needs to explain how the Queensland locations were chosen for the COVID-19 phase 1A vaccine roll-out to aged care facilities.

The Health Minister announced the first 41 communities in a media release on 18 February 2021.

Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said it was curious that almost all the locations were federal LNP-held seats.

“I would hate to think that any Government would play politics with this pandemic and the health response to it,” Mr Neumann said.

“I applaud the Government’s decision to roll out the vaccine to residential aged care and disability facilities in this first round.

“It is important to protect the most vulnerable and aged care residents have been most impacted during the pandemic.

“I’ve raised these issues with the Shadow Minister and with the Government.”

Mr Neumann said the Queensland Health Minister had explained the rationale for the selection of the first hubs chosen in Queensland. Apart from being located close to quarantine facilities in major hospitals, in both regional metropolitan areas, they also had the capacity for storage of the vaccine.

Queensland Health has made it clear that responsibility for the vaccine rollout to aged care facilities is managed entirely by the Federal Government.

“There are many communities that could have been chosen for phase 1A located in the provincial electorate of Blair and outer metropolitan electorates in and around the greater Brisbane area such as Oxley and Rankin

“In fact, you need to drive past aged care facilities in those ALP-held federal electorates to get to the communities selected in this phase 1A round, for instance in Toowoomba.

“The Morrison Government needs to be clear about the process used to select these communities.”