When even Scott Morrison admits that the government has to lift its game, you know that something has gone thoroughly, abominably wrong.
The rollout of vaccinations to people in residential disability care has gone wrong. Badly, disgracefully, offensively wrong. So wrong that Morrison conceded this week that “we’ve got to step up the performance there, and there’s no doubt about that”. He said he’d be working with Greg Hunt and Linda Reynolds to address it.
Linda “Empathy” Reynolds is the NDIS minister but this stuff-up is entirely by Hunt and his department. More specifically, by the private sector “in-reach” teams that are supposed to be administering vaccinations in aged care and disability residential care facilities.
On Monday, the government admitted just 1000 disability care residents had been vaccinated so far, along with another 1500 sector workers. That total of 2500 compares with about 1650 vaccinations for residents and workers nearly a month ago. That’s when Health secretary Professor Brendan Murphy promised that the rollout to the residential disability sector would ramp up “soon”. Presumably he meant years, rather than months.
The rollout to the aged care and residential disability care sectors was supposed to have been completed by the end of March. The end of May is coming and the residential disability sector continues to be almost completely ignored. It’s beyond shameful, and the Health Department has offered no explanation other that that it’s all “complex”. Any official statement about the residential disability care sector rollout is now accompanied by a recommendation that people with disabilities can go to their GPs for a vaccination.
In other words, we can’t deliver, so do it yourself.
Health officials knew it was complex because, unusually, they actually consulted with the sector in planning the rollout, and understood from the beginning of the year that the residential disability sector would be much harder to reach than the aged care sector, given residential facilities typically house a small number of people. None of that evidently influenced the planning of the rollout.
Nor is there much evidence that the rollout to both sectors is improving. The rollout — evidently mainly to aged care facilities — picked up speed in late April but then flattened out again the following week; last week was a better week but this week has not continued the momentum.
The other part of the rollout directly controlled by the Commonwealth is via GPs, and that has lifted noticeably in recent days. GPs are administering 45,000-50,000 doses consistently every day, compared with fewer than 40,000 a day in early April.
But it’s the states who are pushing the numbers up — yesterday’s total doses of over 95,000 was easily the highest daily total so far. In April, the Commonwealth’s GP and residential care programs accounted for about three jabs in every four. In May, that has fallen to about two in every three; in the past week, the Commonwealth’s contribution fell to 64%.
Maybe it’s time to get the states to take charge of the residential care sector rollout. Perhaps they can save the country from the profound shame of treating people with disabilities with such contempt.
Lets hope nothing serious happens till the vaccinations are complete. We cant even handle one problem at a time, let alone 2 or more. Better shut up about China Scotty. Dont want war with them at the mo.
Morrison’s inability to organise things, and make them happen, is just beyond comprehension. If you wanted one quality in a leader, you’d think the ability to actually DO things would be pretty much the number one requirement.
Is he this inept on purpose? Is there some secret agenda going on, to completely destroy the credibility of Federal governance, and get us all working at state and community levels? Or is he just a total bozo whose one super power is his ability to insinuate his way to the top of any organisation he’s a part of, to grab the crown, and then just sit there, twiddling his thumbs, with absolutely no idea of what to do next.
I’ll go with superbozo who’s hit the jackpot of getting hands on the Federal Treasury coffers..btw..do we have any parliamentary governmental public service checks n balances/legal redress against this sort of outright blatant robbery of the nation ?
If you are a neo-liberal who believes in small government and outsourcing all activity to the private sector, then you never develop any skills in developing policies and programs.
All he and Frydenberg seem to be able to do is shovel money to the private sector with minimal guidelines and minimal accountability.
And they’ve largely got rid of, or stopped listening to the public servants who could have given them advice on how to set up and run a program.
He has always been inept. His work history proves it. All bluster and lack of competency with a dose of self-interest, carelessness and malfeasance. Being a PM – he thought it’s all about the glory and red carpets.
Allegedly in the USA during the Trump administration, there was an attitude from some quarters that government programs (of just about any sort)should be deliberately run poorly, so citizens would not expect much from their government,
All part of the “small government” push.
They succeeded spectacularly with their pandemic controls measures and vaccine rollout.
Does that attitude exist here? Some may say yes, even after the decision to build a methane-diesel power plant.
He makes very good Announcements. Some are so good he re-announces them again and again.
god, this government is SO embarrassing
Visited my GP last week. He is stressed out. He is getting only 50 vaccines each week for his busy practice.
Mine this morning said his practice will just start getting stocks tomorrow. I am about 600th in the queue so it may be a little while.
Visited my GP yesterday to enquire about getting the jab, his response was sorry we were rejected by the feds because we don’t have 2 entrances to the clinic. I won’t bother to post the details of his comments against Federal govt incompetence, we already know it…
Best to let the States do it. Morrison can come along & take the credit then.
Let him and his mob buzz off to Hawaii?
Wonder he hasn’t said “I don’t hold the pricks”.
That is the issue me thinks; like elsewhere vaccinations have become a political issue with other nations approaching elections too, and compromising effective roll outs (because someone else may get the kudos).