George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to rise in this grievance debate. There are plenty of grievances that people have. One that many people know that I have is with the vaccine mandates that have been rolled out around the nation, principally by state governments. Unfortunately, we haven't had any action from this place in dismantling those mandates.

Lest people think it is a fringe issue, this is affecting real people—real mums and dads and real workers—out in my community and right around the country. I have met nurses who were unceremoniously sacked after decades of work with Queensland Health. Hospital administration workers have also been sacked. I'm aware that a senior Mackay Queensland Health official in a meeting with other Queensland Health officials and local GP clinics said words to the effect, 'We're glad we're rid of all of those people'—'those people'; those are the words she used. She meant those people who choose—and Australians are entitled to choose—not to get a medical procedure done that they feel isn't right for them. It doesn't matter what we think; that's their right. It's bodily autonomy.

Emergency aircrew workers in Mackay have lost their jobs. People who have served in the defence forces and aged-care workers in Proserpine, Bowen, Mackay and Townsville have all been unceremoniously sacked. I know that there are issues with aged care, but surely to goodness there could have been something done to redeploy these people or appropriately compensate them. Teachers throughout Bowen, Mackay and elsewhere have approached me about having their jobs terminated as well. There are counsellors and psychologists also in Mackay. I've raised this before in this place. A psychologist who saw all of her patients by telehealth from her own house can't work in that field anymore. Apparently COVID is going to sneak down the internet. The NBN is not that good!

Then there are police and administration workers in Mackay. I have had police in other parts of my electorate also contact me about the mandates that have come in in their workplaces. Then there are the doctors and GPs in Mackay, the Whitsundays and elsewhere. I know there was a surgeon who was stood down. There are GPs in Bowen. It's all because of these vaccine mandates.

The Prime Minister said at the start of this whole pandemic, or at least when the vaccines were on their way, that there would not be mandatory vaccines in this country. But it's very strange, given all of these people—

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