QUEENSLAND’S VACCINE PASSPORT
QCCL President Michael Cope says, “The QCCL is not an anti vax organisation. At the same time we respect everyone’s right to bodily integrity and to control their medical treatment. We believe all medical treatment, which includes vaccination should be voluntary.”
“The government has finally announced the details of its vaccine passport regime. We welcome the fact that it does not require people to prove they are vaccinated to access basic services such as supermarkets and public transport. However the QCCL remains concerned about this precedent setting regime.”
“The effect of this rule will be to give employers in hospitality the ability to sack employees who wont get vaccinated since most of them will not be able to perform an essential feature of their job - turn up to work. The New Zealand High Court has recently recognised that the threat of dismissal of non vaccinated people is clearly coercive”
Mr Cope continued, “If passports are to be introduced they must extend to people who have acquired immunity from having had covid or have had a recent negative test. This is to avoid discrimination against the unvaccinated.”
Mandatory testing also raises civil liberties concerns. However, given that vaccinated people can unknowingly spread the disease a recent test would provide much greater protection at crowded events and the like. A test, unlike a vaccine does not violate bodily integrity in anything but the most minor and short term way and is therefore proportionate in the context of the current emergency. To facilitate this the Government needs to encourage rapid antigen testing.
The government also must take action on ventilation, including CO2 monitoring in indoor public spaces.
The QCCL has 3 objections to vaccine passports
Firstly they are designed to coerce people who conscientiously object to vaccination into getting the vaccine.
Secondly, whilst vaccines do reduce transmission they are by no means 100% effective and they are not 100% safe especially amongst younger people who are much less at risk from Covid than others.
Finally they represent a system of proof of identification foreign to this country’s traditions. We are very concerned about the prospect that these arrangements will become entrenched as government’s like the Victorian say they will stay in place all next year.
“At all times we have been concerned about Covid rules becoming permanent. The QCCL calls on the government to state when these rules will be repealed.”
“In our view the most morally acceptable way to incentivise vaccination would be to pay people to do so.If a person is free to refuse the offer without any penalty, (as would be the case with vaccine payments), the offer cannot be coercive.”
What would be a fair level of payment for being vaccinated? This is a matter for experts to work out. Because the risk of death is very low, a payment for vaccination is also likely to be quite low.
For further information contact Michael Cope President QCCL on 0432 847 154. He will only be available to discuss this until 12 noon today
10 November 2021