Please attribute the following to Executive Director of Strategic Communications Branch Robert Hoge:
Queensland Health is a trusted source of credible information.
Facebook isn't the only way we reach people but it's an significant one. We are working urgently this morning to restore public access to our content.
We are in the process of rolling out the first phase of our COVID-19 vaccine program and social media is a key tool with which to communicate this information.
The decision to block access to our content could hinder our ability to communicate to high-risk groups.
We have really significant reach through our website, Twitter and LinkedIn. We encourage Queenslanders who need information to check out our website.
It is up to date with all relevant COVID-19 cases and relevant COVID-19 information.
I applaud Facebook for taking action against anti-vaxxers, Pete Evans and other peddlers of harmful views and conspiracies, however they got this one wrong.
While our social media platforms have a better reach than many news services, and are more reliable, we are in fact not a news service. Facebook should fix this urgently.
Our website is at www.health.qld.gov.au.
