Let’s see if Anthony Albanese lives up to his pledge that “No one (is) left behind because we should always look after the disadvantaged and the vulnerable.”
I have written to the new Prime Minister, asking him to change the compensation scheme criteria.
25 May 2022
Dear Prime Minister,
RE: COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme
I write regarding the eligibility criteria for the Commonwealth Indemnity Scheme for Australians injured by the Covid-19 vaccines.
Thousands of patients are being denied critical financial support because of the scheme’s unfair conditions. Could the following conditions of the scheme please be removed from the eligibility criteria to ensure that vaccine victims can access the financial, medical, and mental support they desperately need?
1. The scheme only recognises recognised injuries listed by vaccine makers based on the evidence from their trial data. The scheme should be available to all people who have suffered vaccine injuries based on a fit and proper causation assessment from an actual doctor’s diagnosis.
2. Vaccine victims must spend a night in hospital to be eligible for financial assistance. This is an arbitrary rule that in no way reflects vaccine causation or the severity of the injury. Many vaccine victims have been sent home without proper diagnosis or treatment or were referred to a private practice. As such they have been excluded even though they suffered extensive injuries.
3. The payout should not be limited to $20,000, but instead reflect the true cost of the injury. It is increasingly evident that injuries incurred by vaccine victims are ongoing. Many victims have incurred significant direct medical costs already. As a result of their injuries, many people are unable to work and as such have seen their livelihoods destroyed. This has resulted in further mental anguish.
4. Payouts need to be processed much faster and with greater respect for victims. There are people who were injured in 2021 who have still not been compensated.
The Federal Government has a moral obligation to compensate vaccine victims for all of their financial costs as well as ensure that they are being provided with proper medical support for their injuries.
Kind regards,
Gerard Rennick
LNP Senator for Queensland
View the letter: Covid-19 Vaccine Scheme Letter to Anthony Albanese PM
