The ANAO has reviewed Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout and found it came too late and underestimated the difficulty of inoculating the nation. 

The former Morrison government's COVID-19 vaccine rollout planning was not “timely”, and did not adequately foresee the challenge in protecting aged care and disability residents, according to a new report by auditor-general Grant Hehir.

The federal health department failed to meet six out of nine measurable targets for the wider vaccine rollout, and consistently failed to meet vaccine targets among the vulnerable population.

The former Government did not meet any of the five key public targets it set for the vaccine rollout to priority groups.

Governance structures were found to be “largely effective” from June 2021, but were put in place too late, as detailed engagement with states and territories did not commence until November 2020.

“The statement in the August 2020 vaccine and treatment strategy that ‘Australian government agencies are working with states and territories on transportation, storage and distribution plans’ was not accurate,” the report states.

“More than two and a half months elapsed between the release of the vaccine and treatment strategy (on 18 August 2020) and the first meeting between Health and state and territory health authority CEOs on 6 November 2020 at which Health first put forward the ‘proposed responsibilities for states and territories’.”

The audit found the Morrison government should have adopted a needs-based approach that supplied vaccines based on risk, rather than the number of people eligible.

Mr Hehir also found that efforts to evaluate the vaccine rollout were hampered by a lack of clear targets.

“The establishment of targets (such as key dates or progress towards the completion of milestones) are essential to allow monitoring of progress against an overall objective and to identify any areas which may require the allocation of additional resources,” Mr Hehir said.

While the audit clearly laid bare some serious deficiencies in the rollout, its recommendations were limited to just two suggestions - the creation of a more comprehensive data policy within the federal health department, and another audit into the rollout.

The department has accepted both recommendations.