Queensland National Party MP Matt Canavan says forcing people to get vaccinated is the worst thing you can do, and even more so in the workplace.
On Monday (Feb. 22), Australia officially rolled out the COVID-19 (Chinese Communist Virus, also known as New Coronavirus) vaccine to the nation, but Queensland National Party Senator Matt Canavan argued that employers should not force employees to get vaccinated and that the government should set clear rules to protect people’s right to opt out of the vaccine.
Last Sunday, Jane Malysiak, an 84-year-old woman who lived through World War II, became the first person in Australia to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. She was one of a handful of people who received the vaccine early, before the vaccine program was officially launched.
At the Time, Australian Prime Minister Morrison was sitting next to her. When the Channel 9 host asked Malisiak if there were any side effects from getting the vaccine next to the prime minister, she replied, “No side effects, I didn’t even recognize him, he looked so much better in person than on TV.”
The following day, the vaccine program was officially rolled out across Australia. But Senator Canavan is concerned that while the Australian government is not forcing people to get the vaccine, some people may lose their jobs because they refuse to get it.
“Unless there’s some absolutely necessary reason, I don’t think people should lose their jobs because they don’t get vaccinated.” He told Channel 9, “There needs to be some clear guidelines from the government when it comes to getting vaccinated, especially about things like air travel. I think there’s some lack of clarity here in terms of liability.”
On the eve of the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, Qantas president Alan Joyce said he would consider changing the rules to require international travelers to be vaccinated in order to fly. He said Qantas considered vaccination necessary for international travelers going into Australia and for Australians going overseas, regardless of whether Australians needed the vaccine at Home.
But Canavan said forcing people to get vaccinated was the worst thing that could happen, and even more so in the workplace. He says the thing the government should be focusing on is getting as many people vaccinated as possible as soon as possible, rather than going against those who have doubts about vaccines.
He believes the best thing to do is to respect those who have a different opinion, and that it is the business of ordinary Australians to persuade others to get vaccinated, while the worst thing to do is to denigrate or disrespect those who have a different opinion.
The Australian government survey showed that 64 percent of respondents said they would definitely get the COVID-19 vaccine, but more than a quarter said they were unsure.
On Saturday, protests against mandatory vaccination broke out in Australia’s five capital cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Protesters in Melbourne clashed with police, who used pepper spray and made several arrests.
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