This week’s political football of mandatory vaccinations is a classic case of misdirection by the Federal Government, United Workers Union said today.

“The Federal Government’s approach this week has been a disgraceful political cook-up to shift blame onto workers,” United Workers Union Aged Care Director Carolyn Smith said today.

“The vaccine rollout in Australia has been a joke. Aged care workers and residents have been put in harm’s way by the Federal Government’s inability to effectively provide access to the lifesaving vaccine.

“Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt have tried to use the issue of mandatory vaccination as a smokescreen for their own failure in providing vaccines to aged care workers.

“Instead of addressing the underlying problem of the ineffective vaccine rollout, Morrison and Hunt have tried to pin the blame for the crisis in aged care on workers. In a base political move, they have chosen to create a sideshow to distract from the disaster that has been the aged care vaccine rollout.

“This political game-playing on aged care vaccinations should be exposed for the time-sucking, attention-deflecting ploy it actually is.

“What’s happened today shows that politicians shouldn’t mess with public health advice.

“All through the pandemic, United Workers Union has advocated for following the advice of public health professionals.

“Morrison should leave health advice to the experts, and focus on doing his job – protecting Australian communities from infection by providing access to the vaccine.

“After a week of revelations, it is now clear:

– Only 1 in 10 of Australia’s 300,000 aged care workers have been fully vaccinated by the Federal Government.

– Aged care workers were only given vaccine leftovers, because the company responsible for vaccinations was never contracted to give aged care workers vaccines.

– Queensland and Victoria are now scrambling to cover for the Federal Government’s aged care vaccination failures.

“The vaccination program has almost completely failed to reach aged care workers, and has largely left them to get vaccinated on their own time,” Ms Smith said.

“It’s devastating to think that the very real possibility of a Covid-19 breakout entering aged care facilities still hangs over older Australians and aged care workers due to the failed vaccine rollout program.”

ENDS Media Contact: 1300 898 633, [email protected]