The cut will reduce the excise from 52.6 cents a litre to about 26.3 cents a litre, with the change due to take effect from Wednesday.

The new payment will be funded 50:50 between the Commonwealth and States and Territories, with final details including eligibility and compliance to be released by Services Australia.

"One can only make three claims over a period of six months, except for some extraordinary cases."

Australia has sufficient supplies of booster shots available, with contracts in place for 85 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 15 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 51 million doses of the Novavax vaccine.

Australia's National Cabinet met on 5 February 2021 to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response, the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and management of Australia’s borders in...