Ms BURNEY (Barton) (11:19): I rise, along with my colleagues, to support the Appropriation (Coronavirus Response) Bill (No. 1) 2021-2022 and to make some very important points. One of the things that the Labor Party has attempted to do right throughout the campaign and the issues around the pandemic—as the member for Gippsland expressed so eloquently earlier—is act as parliamentarians in the best interests of the people that we represent. The Labor Party has done that every step of the way in relation to the budget allocations towards the pandemic, which I'm sure will be ongoing, and, of course, the management of the pandemic. We know—and you, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander, know more than most, as do other people in this chamber who have a much better understanding of medical issues than I do—that this pandemic has had international ramifications, some of them absolutely dire, particularly as to the points that the international organisation for health has been making about the equity of the rollout of vaccinations across the world. We know that it has had national implications. We all know, as people representing people in this House—and, Mr Deputy Speaker, I heard you speak about it, as to your local community, just the other day—the exhaustion, the frustration and the confusion, and the anxiety around what we've still got coming down the track. I do note that I heard the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, say that he believed—though he hoped he was wrong—that there is another spike of omicron, along with the flu season, coming towards us as we get towards winter. We are all finding our way. The state governments, I think, have played a magnificent role in terms of protecting people—sometimes not to our wishes—and having at their hearts the wellbeing of people in their states and territories. Where we have been very honest—and I mean the Labor Party—is on the federal responsibilities of vaccine rollout and of quarantine and, of course, recently, in saying that rapid antigen tests need to be brought into focus. I am glad that the minister is at the table; he's someone I have an enormous regard for. But I want to speak about the rollout of the vaccines and the rapid tests, particularly in terms of Aboriginal communities. I think what has been brought into absolute focus is the situation so many First Nations people find themselves in, in overcrowded living conditions. Their capacity to isolate and to quarantine has been severely affected by overcrowding. And there's just no two ways about not having that front and centre. We know that the issue with First Nations communities is complex. There is the issue of remoteness and, as I said, the issue of poverty. But I have maintained all along that we should have anticipated the disaster that we're seeing at the moment in First Nations communities. Across the country there is, on average, about a 20 per cent gap between the double vaccination rates of First Nations people and those of other Australians, and that gap does not get much different when you look at the 12- to 15-year-olds and 15- to 19-year-olds. The gap is still wide. We saw the slow-rolling disaster of western New South Wales and we knew that it would eventually make its way into Queensland, and it has. I notice reports today from the Queensland health minister that there have been something like 19 deaths of First Nations people this year in Queensland. We are now seeing, with absolute clarity, the desperate situation that exists in the Northern Territory, and that's where, particularly, remoteness and the fluidity of the movements of people are very, very real. I think it would be appalling to many people in this House, if they have not had the experience of seeing some of the living conditions of our First Peoples, particularly in remote Australia. I have asserted all along that we knew this was going to happen. It's a matter of time before we see the same situation in Western Australia that we're seeing in the Territory now. And we're starting to see COVID make its way into communities in South Australia. The challenge is that Aboriginal people have the worst health outcomes in this country. Take away the pandemic, and they have the worst health outcomes in this country. Put COVID on top of the illnesses that people carry and it will be absolutely disastrous for First Nations people, making this issue even more urgent. I do not accept the narrative that has been crafted about vaccine hesitancy in our communities. If there is that influence then that needs to be tackled full-on with better communication strategies and with more localised communication. What we saw that was successful in Wilcannia was the provision of mobile homes that made it possible for people to isolate. Also, in many communities, an enormous effort went into door-to-door approaches. Now, it's not rocket science. Aboriginal communities are very defined. We know where they are. And that is the approach that's needed. Where we saw success, also, was in the use of local people and local leaders in terms of the campaign and the communication strategies. It is without doubt that the urgency is to ensure this House passes these bills. The Morrison government promised that First Nations communities would be vaccinated by last winter. That was a very long time ago. We are now almost at the end of this summer. Instead of being protected from the virus with the vaccine, which First Nations communities were promised, remote Indigenous communities are among the least vaccinated in the country, with many experiencing severe outbreaks, as I have said. Just shy of 90,000 Indigenous Australians are yet to receive even a first dose of COVID vaccine. You can imagine my frustration when we have big celebrations and hear we've reached 90 per cent. Sure, that might be the average, but for the sickest people in this country the reality is not 90 per cent. In fact, it's much less than that. The government that left Australians stuck in the starting blocks of the vaccine race have not gotten Indigenous Australians to the racetrack, and that's the truth of it. The Indigenous vaccine gap for adults is stuck, as I said, at about 18 to 20 per cent, and it's remained that for months. It's not getting any better, and that is the difficult part. The government's daily reporting does not report on the second doses for First Nations 12- to 15-year-olds. Given we know the first dose gap is now over 20 per cent, we can only assume they are letting the second dose gap blow out as well. We don't even know what the vaccination rate is for five- to 11-year-old First Nations children, because that's not being published. I know that this is a particular frustration for many Indigenous families. I am saying to the government: please tell us what the booster gap is for Indigenous Australians too. We know how badly they let Indigenous Australians down on the first two doses. We need to know the numbers in relation to the boosters. Too many regional Indigenous communities have been left vulnerable to essential services failing because communities are not protected. We know that in the Northern Territory the land councils are calling for the extreme measure of closing the Territory down. They have highlighted—and this is something right across the board—that Aboriginal health services, who have been at the front line of this, like most health providers, are absolutely exhausted and are finding it extremely difficult to get enough rapid antigen tests to assist with the isolation aspects of what's required. There is no second option for vital services in many remote communities. If the provider can't meet demand or, worse, if the service has to cease because of the limited number of staff, who catch COVID, there isn't another service waiting around the corner that can backfill those positions. This has to be understood in regional and remote Australia. There is no backup plan for surge workforces. The government did not live up to their promise to First Nations Australians on vaccines. I am not apportioning blame. I am simply stating the fact. The government did not live up to their responsibilities on PPE and tests. I know there are enormous efforts being undertaken, but the simple fact is—and I will finish on this point, which I have heard the minister make as well—that, in our communities, the holders of the knowledge, the holders of language, the holders of passing on culture, are our old people, and they are so vulnerable. So it's not just a health issue; it's actually a cultural maintenance issue as well. It's about the capacity to pass on culture, to pass on language, to tell the stories, to teach the songs. I am terribly afraid that the gap that I have referred to is going to have not only a terrible effect on population health outcomes but a terrible effect on maintenance of culture, which is important not just for First Nations people but for all Australians.