COVID vaccination rates up but Aboriginal people may struggle with proof of jab rules, says Ernie Dingo

COVID vaccination rates in Mid West Aboriginal communities are finally approaching State Government targets, but Australian film and TV legend Ernie Dingo is worried many will be unable to prove their double-dose status. Dingo, a Yamatji man who hails from Mullewa, was in Geraldton last week as part of his Vax the Outback campaign, a Federally-funded initiative aimed at addressing vaccine hesitancy in regional WA. He said many people he had spoken to about their fears and questions about the jab had lined up for their first COVID dose. “We have had a great time talking about vaccination and we have seen a great rise in the numbers of people who have had their first vaccination while I was there,” Dingo said. “They had a big grin on their face, and you feel good about that.” Almost 70 per cent of Indigenous residents in Geraldton have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with Dingo praising Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service for creating a “friendly environment” for locals to get their jabs. But he said the new challenge would be giving Aboriginal people the skills and resources necessary to prove they have been vaccinated using the ServiceWA app. “We have been talking to people and making them feel confident about their vaccination and making them feel confident that they can go within the community and go to pubs and go to shops and libraries ... but now they can’t go into them because they need a damn pass to get in the door,” he said. “Indigenous people in smaller communities ... they don’t have phones, they don’t have computers or they don’t have the patience or know-how to get their phones set up so they can show verification of their vaccination. “Even our brightest sparks around town are going to have a problem with it, so what do they expect of the average Joe?” There are other ways to show proof of vaccination at venues which fall under the new State Government requirements, but Dingo said many Aboriginal people would not have access to sources of identification these other verification options demand. “They are not going to have a passport and they don’t have their birth certificates to show proof of identification,” he said. “Now everyone is vaccinated but they can’t prove it.” His experience in the Mid West has been largely positive, but Dingo said he was subject to vile abuse from Hedland anti-vaxxers and online trolls earlier in the tour. “The psychological warfare we have been having with people who don’t want to be vaccinated has been taking its toll,” he said. Dingo will be visiting other communities in the Mid West this week.