Fifteen national church and civil society groups have banded together to urge the Australian government to support the World Trade Organisation (WTO) waiver for fair COVID vaccine access for low-income countries.
The current WTO rules mean that new vaccines have a 20-year protection before cheaper versions can be made.
The new waiver aims to prevent pharmaceutical companies monopolising the vaccine through negotiations with governments over quantity and price, thus excluding some countries from having fair access to vaccine supplies.
Globally, there has been support for the waiver, however the Australian Government is yet to join.