By Dominique Tassell
Member for Southern Downs, James Lister, has spoken out against the Public Health and Other Legislation (Extension of Expiring Provisions) Amendment Bill 2022.
The Bill would extend the emergency health measures until the emergency is announced to have ended, or 31 October 2022, whichever is earlier.
The explanatory notes for the Bill state that “it is critical that flexibility is retained to ensure that, as restrictions are eased and normal social and economic activity resume, appropriate public health measures can continue to be put in place where necessary to address ongoing public health risks and protect the health system”.
The Queensland Liberal National Party is in opposition to the Bill, and Mr Lister is supporting that position.
While he has supported “some emergency powers which have been necessary to keep Covid out of Queensland”, he has stated he opposes “coercive and discriminatory Covid vaccination policies”.
Last year, the state government sought to extend the emergency powers need to impose vaccine mandates and other Covid measures. Mr Lister voted to end those powers when the state had reached an 80 per cent vaccination rate. However, an amendment to extend those powers until April this year was successful.
Mr Lister stated that he did not oppose the powers such as those which closed the borders.
“But I am opposed to emergency powers where the state government hasn’t demonstrated the public necessity for curtailing peoples’ reasonable freedoms,” he said.
“Mandating vaccination for people and venues has caused unnecessary community division and hurt small businesses and community organisations like our local annual shows.
“I’ve just had Covid myself, and I can tell you that I spread it to other people (my family during quarantine) even though I am triple vaccinated.”
He stated that if the state government won’t publish the advice it says it’s relying on to make vaccination mandatory for people who want to have the freedom to live as equals in our community, then he will continue to oppose the extension of those powers.
“Mandating vaccines is not the same thing as making it mandatory to wear a seatbelt or stop at a red light,” he said.
