WA: A Call to Arms

Vaccination is a hot topic at the moment, especially in my home state of WA. So, I thought I’d take a look at WA’s vaccination communications from the perspective of a West Aussie who has just endured 263 days of Melbourne lockdown.

WA is no stranger to rivalries. There is the Eagles vs the Dockers, north of the river vs south of the river. But there is a new rivalry brewing that is doing more harm than good: those who want the borders open, versus those who are happy to keep them closed.

There is a vast range of people in each of these groups who all have different reasons for feeling the way that they do, and there are benefits to both arguments. The problem is, WA’s vaccines rates are too slow and it’s holding back the state and the country.

People who understand the urgency of getting vaccinated have already got their jab. Those who want to travel and see family have already got their jab. It’s the ones who don’t mind getting a vaccine, but also don’t feel a sense of urgency, whose minds we have to change.

Looking at the data, one age group stands out as having lower levels of vaccination: 20-34 year olds. Whilst many in this age group are already fully vaccinated, there are some who aren’t in a hurry. Millennials are a busy bunch and taking a day off work to line up at the Showgrounds is not on the top of their list.

This is not their fault. The WA government is constantly reinforcing that while borders stay closed, the state can continue to enjoy current freedoms. But when borders open, watch out – restrictions will be back!

Media campaigns tend to carry general images of freedom which may have been relevant in other parts of the country, but isn’t in WA. West Australians don’t need to get vaccinated to enjoy a drink at the pub, a concert, the footy or a wedding. They can already do all of these things.

The WA government needs to shift the tone towards a more urgent appeal: “you need to get vaccinated?today, and here is why.” They have to find a way to show the fence-sitters that they don’t just need a vaccine, they need it right now.?

It cannot be underestimated how important it is to set a date and percentage goal. It’s hard to hit a target if you don’t know where the target is – right now, there is no date and no specific percentage goal. With clearer goals, people will feel more motivation.

And, showing progress daily towards these targets will help encourage people to keep going. What is needed is a community-wide call-to-arms.

In summary, here are four things that may help WA speed up their vaccinations:

1. Set a community target. For example: Let’s work together to get 80% of the state double vaccinated by November 30th.

2. Tell people the positive reasons why we have to do this. For example: When we reach 80% double vaccinations, we can reunite West Aussie families and still enjoy a drink with them at the pub.?

3. Emphasise that fully vaccinated people will enjoy greater access to things like clubs and events than their unvaccinated mates.

4. Encourage people to keep going by regularly showing progress. For example: We’ve only got 1 week to go until we reach 80% - let’s see if we can bring that date forward!

Clearly the messaging needs to be multi-layered for different segments of the audience, but focussing on these four things should stimulate substantial change.?

Quite frankly, I’ve had enough of hearing West Australians argue about the borders and I’d really like to get back to seeing a twitter feed full of Dockers vs Eagles banter instead of the toxic anger that has become prevalent.

Let’s make WA stand for Way Ahead, not Wait Awhile.?