In last week’s federal budget the Australian government announced it had given the suppliers of two COVID-19 vaccines indemnity against liability for rare side effects.

Although details are unclear, it appears the government would foot the bill for compensation if a member of the public wins legal action against the drug company.

This is in contrast to 25 other countries with no-fault compensation schemes for rare vaccine side effects.

Here’s the little we know about Australia’s latest indemnity deal and what we could be doing better.