This is your current location on the website:
Getting a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination is voluntary. Each person can decide whether they want to get vaccinated or not. This includes people in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The healthcare provider giving the vaccination must get your consent before vaccinating you. If you have a guardian or other decision-maker, they also need to consent to the vaccination. The healthcare provider must record and get informed consent from you for each dose of the vaccination.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has put together information for healthcare providers about getting informed consent from people. They have also created consent forms for healthcare providers to use.
For individuals, ATAGI has developed a decision guide for people who are frail or very old, including people living in residential aged care, and their substitute decision-makers. The guide is to help people make an informed decision about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
ATAGI is currently also working on resources to support people with disability who aren’t able to consent themselves.
If a disability service provider or support worker refuses to keep working with you because you decide not to get the vaccine, they might be breaking the NDIS Code of Conduct. If this happens, you can make a complaint to the NDIS Commission.
The Australian Government has created a range of Easy Read resources about the COVID vaccines, including an Easy Read resource about giving your consent.
You can find the ATAGI guide on consent for healthcare providers on the Department of Health website, as well as copies of the consent forms and the decision making guide for frail and elderly people.