COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:17): Supplementary: what other factors have contributed to the low take-up rate of vaccinations in the northern suburbs, and what is the government doing to address those?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:17): I thank the honourable member for her question. I think it would be fair to say that one of the issues in the northern suburbs is the challenge to be able to effectively communicate with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and one of the key strategies to try to increase take-up in culturally and linguistically diverse communities has been to work with their leaders.

SA Health—I have been involved in some and I know the Hon. Jing Lee has been involved in some as well—has been consistently and actively engaging the leadership of the culturally and linguistically diverse communities right through the pandemic. It has been renewed in the context of the vaccination program, and some of the mobile clinic opportunities are very much reaching the CALD community.

For example, I am told that in the next three weeks we will have mobile vaccination vans in the north, engaging people in the Islamic Society of South Australia, the Migrant Resource Centre, the Australian Refugee Association, the African Women's Federation and the BAPS temple, and at UniSA Mawson Lakes and TAFE SA. Wellbeing SA is taking on a particular responsibility for looking at opportunities to raise uptake in community groups and is involved in a very broad strategy.

We, of course, will be continuing to partner with other organisations in the north. In particular, I would like to thank Sonder for their work with us. They have planned events for the northern suburbs in Edinburgh North, Modbury, Lightsview and Semaphore Park.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary, the Hon. Mr Ngo.