Less than a quarter of eligible Indigenous children under the age of 12 have received a COVID-19 vaccination.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Coverage is nearly half that of Australia's overall vaccination rate for children aged between five and 11, sitting around 40 per cent.
In comparison, federal health data shows just 21.3 per cent of Indigenous children in that cohort have received a jab.
The department does not include the breakdown for Indigenous children under the age of 12 in its published daily COVID-19 data.
It revealed the figure in response to questions from AAP, but did explain why this was not published routinely.
About 64 per cent of Indigenous children aged between 12 and 15 have received at least one dose.
This compares with an overall first-dose rate for all children in that cohort of 83.5 per cent. The double-dose rate is sitting at 76.5 per cent.
Labor's spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, lashed the Morrison government for leaving First Nations children behind in the vaccine rollout.
"It's time this government lived up their responsibility. We're into the third year of COVID excuses. They didn't cut it in the first year, and they certainly don't cut it now," she told AAP.
"The Morrison government has to get vaccines and rapid antigen tests into Indigenous communities, and they have to do it now."
Overall, about 75 per cent of Indigenous people aged 16 and older are double-dosed. The double-dose rate for all 16-plus Australians exceeds 93 per cent.
The federal government has repeatedly pointed to misinformation from fringe groups, largely circulated on social media, as a reason for lagging Indigenous vaccination rates.
Australian Associated Press
