By Dominique Tassell
Southern Downs Mayor, Vic Pennisi, has spoken about the region’s options moving forward regarding the upcoming vaccine mandate.
Mayor Pennisi stated that he hopes to be sent a follow-up email for him to present at a Council meeting after last night’s meeting at WIRAC.
“If they asked something of Council, whatever it is, I’ll table it at Council at a meeting and we’ll have a position on it,” he said.
He stated he can raise their concerns in a mayoral minute if this is passed onto him.
Mayor Pennisi said it’s not about picking sides, but about passing on the sentiment of the people to the decision-makers.
“People just want to feel heard,” he said.
Mayor Pennisi will be having a conversation with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk sometime this afternoon, where they will discuss the mandate.
He highlighted there will be complex consequences to the mandate, especially for Council services, as businesses cannot function without staff.
“We need to find an alternate solution.”
He said there are 4000 businesses in the Southern Downs that have been keeping the economy going in the region for the last two years.
“They’ve dealt with drought, with fires, with frost and hail storms, and mice plagues,” he said.
“They’ve dealt with Covid, and now a curveball about stopping customers coming in.
“It’s a big call, and they’re frightened. They’re scared of the uncertainty of the future.
“If I was a retailer, I’d be scared too.”
Mayor Pennisi stated Southern Downs Regional Council isn’t trying to break the law, and if the Council is mandated to do something by the State Government they will follow these directions.
“The intent is to explore if there are better ways to do this,” he said. “There may not be, but at least people have been heard.”
He highlighted just how much correspondence he’s received regarding the mandate, stating he’s never received this much correspondence before regarding one issue.
He said he’s received this correspondence from both sides of the argument.
“One side says they want choice, but the message from the other side is ‘stay firm on this’,” he said.
“You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
He said at the end of the day, we need to stay safe.
“We need a workable solution that is somewhere in between.”
In his letter to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, sent late last month, he suggested that unvaccinated people in the community be encouraged to wear masks instead.
