FOI reference: FOI 25-0376 LD
Anonymous User
Right to Know
Via email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Anonymous User
Decision on your Freedom of Information Request
I refer to your information access request of 13 April 2025 made to the Department of
Health and Aged Care (the department) under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
(FOI Act). In your request, you sought access to:
Access to information that I believe used to be publicly available showing the rates of COVID-
19 vaccinations for aged-care residents by facility. Only data for 2024 onwards is available via
online searches. I believe this information used to be published by the DOH.
I am authorised under subsection 23(1) of the FOI Act to make decisions in relation to
Freedom of Information requests. I am writing to notify you of my decision on your
access request.
Consultation on administrative release
On 7 May 2025, the department contacted you by email to consult you on
administrative release of the documents.
As you did not respond to the correspondence, the department has processed your
request in its original form.
Reasonable searches
The department has conducted reasonable searches for documents in scope of your
request. As per the FOI Guidelines [at 3.89], these searches were undertaken with
reference to:
• the subject matter of your request
• the department’s current and past file management systems
• the department’s record management systems
GPO Box 9848 Canberra ACT 2601
- www.health.gov.au
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• the individuals within the department with knowledge of the subject matter of
the documents, or who could assist with location of documents
• the age of the documents.
I am satisfied that the searches undertaken were both thorough and reasonable in the
context of the scope of your request, the resources of the department, and the
requirements of the FOI Act and FOI Guidelines.
Additional Information on data and caveats
The department commenced reporting vaccinations, at the jurisdictional level, from
3 August 2022.The tables provide COVID-19 third and fourth dose vaccination rates
of aged care residents by facility across Australia.
Data was retrieved from the Australian Immunisation Register and updated weekly.
The information does not account for residents’ eligibility for a vaccine following
COVID-19 infection.
The data does not account for residents who:
may not yet be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine because they have had a COVID-
19 infection in the last three months, or
are unwilling or clinically unsuitable to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
To protect the personal information of individuals:
a facility's resident vaccination rate is displayed within a range (for example 90–
100%)
a band's width is based on the number of residents at that residential aged care
facility
larger percentage bands are used when reporting vaccination rates for
residential aged care facilities with less than 20 residents
data for facilities with fewer than 5 residents are not included.
The department ceased updating the public data while implementing a shift in
reporting methodology to provide data on residents who have received a COVID-19
vaccination within the last six months and the last 12 months at the facility level.
The shift in reporting methodology occurred to align with recommendations for
COVID-19 vaccinations every 6 months. This public reporting commenced in June
2024 and is available at
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/residential-aged-care-
residents-covid-19-vaccination-rates?language=en.
Decision on access
I have identified 54 documents that are relevant to your request. These documents
were in the possession of the department when your request was received.
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I have decided to grant access to 54 documents in full.
A schedule setting out the documents relevant to your request, with my decision in
relation to those documents, is at
ATTACHMENT A.
Legislative provisions
The FOI Act, including the provisions referred to in my decision, is available on the
Federal Register of Legislation website: www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2004A02562.
Your review rights
I have set out your review rights at
ATTACHMENT C.
Publication
Where I have decided to release documents to you, the department may also publish
the released material on its Disclosure Log, as required by section 11C of the FOI Act.
The department will not publish personal or business affairs information where it
would be unreasonable to do so.
For your reference the department’s Disclosure Log can be found at:
www.health.gov.au/resources/foi-disclosure-log.
Contacts
If you require clarification of any matters discussed in this letter you can contact the
FOI Section on (02) 6289 1666 or at xxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
S Burgess
A/g Assistant Secretary
Infection Prevention and COVID-19 Branch
12 May 2025
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16
27
16 November 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 16 Release in full
N/A
November 2022
17
27
23 November 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 23 Release in full
N/A
November 2022
18
27
30 November 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 30 Release in full
N/A
November 2022
19
27
7 December 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 7 Release in full
N/A
December 2022
20
28
14 December 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 14 Release in full
N/A
December 2022
21
28
21 December 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 21 Release in full
N/A
December 2022
22
28
28 December 2022
Data for Aged Care as at 28 Release in full
N/A
December 2022
23
28
4 January 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 4 Release in full
N/A
January 2023
24
28
11 January 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 11 Release in full
N/A
January 2023
25
28
18 January 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 18 Release in full
N/A
January 2023
26
28
25 January 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 25 Release in full
N/A
January 2023
27
28
1 February 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 1 Release in full
N/A
February 2023
28
28
8 February 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 8 Release in full
N/A
February 2023
29
28
15 February 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 15 Release in full
N/A
February 2023
30
28
22 February 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 22 Release in full
N/A
February 2023
31
28
1 March 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 1 Release in full
N/A
March 2023
32
28
8 March 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 8 Release in full
N/A
March 2023
33
28
15 March 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 15 Release in full
N/A
March 2023
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34
28
22 March 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 22 Release in full
N/A
March 2023
35
28
29 March 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 29 Release in full
N/A
March 2023
36
28
5 April 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 5 Release in full
N/A
April 2023
37
28
12 April 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 12 Release in full
N/A
April 2023
38
28
19 April 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 19 Release in full
N/A
April 2023
39
28
26 April 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 26 Release in full
N/A
April 2023
40
28
3 May 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 3 Release in full
N/A
May 2023
41
28
10 May 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 10 Release in full
N/A
May 2023
42
28
17 May 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 17 Release in full
N/A
May 2023
43
28
24 May 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 24 Release in full
N/A
May 2023
44
28
31 May 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 31 Release in full
N/A
May 2023
45
28
7 June 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 7 Release in full
N/A
June 2023
46
28
14 June 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 14 Release in full
N/A
June 2023
47
28
21 June 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 21 Release in full
N/A
June 2023
48
28
28 June 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 28 Release in full
N/A
June 2023
49
28
4 July 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 4 Release in full
N/A
July 2023
50
28
11 July 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 11 Release in full
N/A
July 2023
51
28
18 July 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 18 Release in full
N/A
July 2023
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52
28
26 July 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 26 Release in full
N/A
July 2023
53
27
2 August 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 2 Release in full
N/A
August 2023
54
27
9 August 2023
Data for Aged Care as at 9 Release in full
N/A
August 2023
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ATTACHMENT B.
YOUR REVIEW RIGHTS
If you are dissatisfied with my decision, you may apply for a review.
Internal review
You can request internal review within 30 days of you receiving this decision. An
internal review will be conducted by a different officer from the original decision
maker.
No particular form is required to apply for review although it will assist your case to
set out the grounds on which you believe that the original decision should be changed.
Applications for internal review can be made by:
Email:
xxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx
Mail:
FOI Unit (MDP 516)
Department of Health and Aged Care
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601
If you choose to seek an internal review, you will also have a right to apply for
Information Commissioner review (IC review) of the internal review decision once it
has been provided to you.
Information Commissioner review or complaint
You have the right to seek Information Commissioner (IC) review of this decision. For
FOI applicants, an application for IC review must be made in writing within 60 days
of the decision. For third parties who object to disclosure of their information, an
application for IC review must be made in writing within 30 days of the decision.
If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your FOI request, you can lodge
a complaint with the OAIC. However, the OAIC suggests that complaints are made to
the agency in the first instance.
While there is no particular form required to make a complaint to the OAIC, the
complaint should be in writing and set out the reasons for why you are dissatisfied
with the way your request was processed. It should also identify the Department of
Health and Aged Care as the agency about which you are complaining.
You can make an IC review application or make an FOI complaint in one of the
following ways:
• online at www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-
complaints/
• via email to xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
• by mail to GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001, or
• by fax to 02 9284 9666.
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More information about the Information Commissioner reviews and complaints is
available on the OAIC website here: www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/foi-
review-process.
Complaint
If you are dissatisfied with action taken by the department, you may also make a
complaint directly to the department.
Complaints to the department are covered by the department’s privacy policy. A form
for lodging a complaint directly to the department is available on the department’s
website here: www.health.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/complaints
