After 11 long months of lockdowns, social distancing and mask-wearing, Australia's national COVID-19 vaccine rollout officially starts on Monday.

The rollout will kick off next week and the most vulnerable citizens in the regions will be first in line.

"It could be quite a variable rollout depending on where you are," the Regional Health Minister said.

"This is not people travelling from Sydney to Brisbane, it's people who live 15km from their mailbox and 120km from town."

For many in the farm sector the pandemic year has been great for business and job opportunities.

As Australians wait for access to the COVID-19 vaccine, the peak body representing pharmaceutical companies says funding for research is vital.

COVID-19 enforced border closures have caused parents to reconsider NSW boarding schools.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a new traffic light system for crossing the border

A decision around student border exemptions is expected to be made on Friday.

Four new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were found in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm tonight, with a further four found in hotel quarantine.