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Queensland's growing delta outbreak means the AstraZeneca vaccine is a more viable option for younger Queenslanders, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says.

She believes the state is "on the verge" of a large outbreak, and wants 150,000 extra doses of AstraZeneca supplied by the Commonwealth "going into arms this week".

"The ATAGI advice says when you reach a large outbreak which I think we're on the verge of...that's the time to go and have that discussion with your GP," she said on Tuesday.

"This is the time that people who are under age 60 should be talking to their GP about what is best for them as an individual, GPs know their patients."

Dr Young denied Queensland had "the highest vaccine hesitancy" in the country, but said she was concerned that a significant proportion of people over 60 still weren't vaccinated.

Just over 18 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, and almost 37 per cent have had their first dose.

Of the 60-69 year old age group, less than 20 per cent have had their second dose

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said GPs and pharmacists would be important as the state tries to increase vaccination rates.

"We still believe that the pharmacies and our GPs are in the best position to roll out the AstraZeneca to the general population," she said.

"If we can redirect second doses from GPs to pharmacies, we can free up a whole lot of booking spaces with GPs for those first doses."

Queensland is also asking to bring forward all of its August supply of the Pfizer vaccine as it tries to control the outbreak in the south east.

"We're supposed to be getting around 84,000 Pfizer vaccines a week, each week of August. We would like to bring that whole supply forward now," she said.

Meanwhile, opposition leader David Crisafulli said that in June, the federal government roadmap showed 100,000 doses of Astra Zeneca were supposed to arrive in Queensland.

"They werent agreed to, they weren't accepted, and that's a mistake," he said.

Ms D'Ath said she wasn't aware of the state being offered extra doses in June and said she previously asked the Commonwealth to redistribute supply to GPs.

"We didn't need it because our frontline workers, and those who are 40 to 60, were being recommended to get Pfizer," she said.

"There was no point us holding on to AstraZeneca, when GPs were wanting it, needing it, and they were doing the 60 Plus (age group).

© AAP 2021

Australians will be able to make free calls from public payphones across the country under a new Telstra initiative.

Standard national calls and SMS from Telstra's network of more than 15,000 payphones will be made free from Tuesday, while payphones will become completely coinless from October 1.

But consumers will still have to pay for overseas calls.

About 11 million calls were made across Telstra payphones in the past year, including 230,000 calls to critical services such as triple zero and Lifeline.

Telstra chief executive Andrew Penn said payphones were a vital lifeline, particularly for the homeless and people escaping an unsafe situation.

"I have been moved seeing firsthand queues of people waiting in line, to use a payphone to tell their family and friends they're safe after a bushfire, a cyclone or some other natural disaster has taken the mobile network down," he said in a statement.

"I can only imagine the relief their families feel knowing their loved one is safe."

Telstra has previously made national calls on its payphones free over the Christmas and New Year period, making it easier for the homeless to contact others.

Major Brendan Nottle of the Salvation Army labelled the decision a "game-changer" that could lift vulnerable Australians out of social poverty and isolation.

"The reality is this piece of infrastructure is absolutely critical because a lot of Australians either don't have a mobile phone, lose it or the phone's charger, or simply run out of credit," he said.

© AAP 2021

Australians will be able to make free calls from public payphones across the country under a new Telstra initiative to promote connections in the age of social isolation.

Standard national and local calls as well as text messages from Telstra's network of more than 15,000 payphones will be made free from Tuesday.

The free domestic calls will be capped at six hours, while consumers will still have to pay to talk to friends and family overseas.

About 11 million calls were made across Telstra payphones in the past year, including 230,000 calls to critical services such as triple zero and helplines.

While their use is in decline, Telstra chief executive Andrew Penn said payphones remained a vital lifeline for some people as evidence by recent bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In times of crisis, it's never been more important for people to stay connected, particularly for those most vulnerable in our society," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"We all look at current society and we just assume that everyone's got access to a mobile phone at the time they need it. That's not always the case."

Telstra has previously made national calls on its payphones free in Indigenous communities, as well as nationwide over the Christmas and New Year period.

Major Brendan Nottle of the Salvation Army described the wholesale policy shift as a "game changer" that could lift vulnerable Australians out of social poverty and isolation.

Mr Nottle said there was a perception of corporate Australia always focusing on the dollar, but Telstra had demonstrated genuine care for vulnerable people.

"A lot of people we work with lose their mobile phone, can't afford to have a mobile phone, consistently run out of credit, or lose a charger," he said.

"So knowing there's a consistent phone available through the Telstra payphones is really important for them to connect but also to contact services such as ours."

Based on last year's tally of 11 million phone calls at 50 cents each, the move could cost Telstra at least $5.5 million.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the telco had committed not to request any additional funding on top of the $40 million annual sum it already received to provide payphones.

"While this is an operational decision made by Telstra, the government will closely monitor its impact," he said.

"If this decision further improves accessibility to communications it will be a positive step."

Labor's communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland also welcomed the move, saying it would "enhance the role of payphones as an important piece of social infrastructure".

© AAP 2021