The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care
Professor Jane Halton AO has handed to Government her independent review of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine and treatment procurements, making eight recommendations.
The recommendations cover the need for public health campaigns around vaccine uptake, an updated COVID-19 policy framework, the streamlining of advisory structures, a review of vaccine distribution arrangements, and the need to ensure adequate supplies of therapeutics and vaccines across 2023 and 2024, among other things.
The Albanese Government commissioned the review to ensure that all eligible Australians have access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, now and into the future.
Ms Halton is a well-respected and experienced leader in the health sector and a former Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Health, former Secretary of the Department of Finance, the chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and co-chair of the COVAX initiative. She undertook the previous Government’s Review of Hotel Quarantine.
The Government thanks Ms Halton and will now carefully consider the eight recommendations contained in the report.
The executive summary and recommendations of Ms Halton’s report can be found . The remainder of the report covers contractual arrangements with vaccine manufacturers and as such is commercial-in-confidence.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“The Albanese Government has taken proactive and decisive action to manage the pandemic.
“As a new incoming Government, we commissioned this review to make sure future procurement and purchasing strategies are fit for purpose and appropriate.
“The Albanese Government wants to ensure that Australia is on the front foot in managing the pandemic.
“I would like to thank Professor Halton for her work. The Government will now carefully consider the recommendations in the report as part of its long-term strategy to manage COVID-19.”
