Queensland extends free flu vaccination program

Following a national 26% spike in influenza last year, the Queensland Government has extended its free vaccination program for 2025.
 
Announced on Saturday, between 1 March and 1 September 2025, all Queenslanders over six months old will be eligible for a free vaccination.
 
Under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), the vaccine is freely available to those under five and over 65 years old, as well as for some vulnerable populations.
 
Queensland’s subsidised flu programs saw nearly one million people receive a free vaccine in 2022, when the program was introduced, and in 2023.
 
The Queensland Government continued the expanded availability of free flu vaccines in 2024.
 
RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cathryn Hester said GPs are ready and willing to ‘help Queenslanders reduce the risk of becoming unwell with preventable illnesses’.
 
‘GPs are the most trusted and accessed provider of immunisations,’ she said.
 
‘Queenslanders end up in hospital due to influenza every year, and the risks are higher for young children, seniors, and patients who are pregnant or have asthma, lung disease, diabetes, heart disease, or other heart disorders.’
 
GPs delivered around 61% of Queensland’s flu vaccinations in 2024, and 59% nationally.
 
But case numbers still spiked last year compared to 2023 across Australia, with about 365,000 cases in 2024 compared to around 290,000 in 2023.
 
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the continuation of the program would reduce the pressure on hospital emergency departments and the broader healthcare system.
 
‘When free flu jabs were first introduced, this was the case – the uptake was 36% of total population,’ he said.
 
However, Minister Nicholls acknowledged that despite the ongoing subsidisation there has been a decrease in people getting the jab.
 
‘The subsequent declines in uptake in 2023 (1,837,384 doses administered) and 2024 (1,752,512 doses administered) of free flu vaccinations is a concern,’ he said.
 
‘To provide context, Queenslanders’ uptake of flu vaccination in 2024, at 29% of total population, was similar to the uptake in New South Wales (28.8%) where free flu vaccinations for all were not provided in 2024.’
 
Although the free influenza vaccine program was running in 2024, cases still went up from 74,343 in 2023 to 79,197 in 2024 – an increase of 6.5%.
 
Minister Nicholls attributed this to ‘vaccine fatigue and hesitancy’ that may be impacting patients’ decisions more than the costs.
 
But he said the Queensland Government would continue to advocate for influenza vaccination, regardless of age, to be included in the NIP.
 
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