Wednesday, 8 March 2023

COVID-19 vaccination

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:35): (95) I rise to address my adjournment to the Minister for Emergency Services, and the action I seek is for the Minister for Emergency Services to publish and provide the following: the total number of volunteers with the CFA and paid employees with the CFA and FRV who have been precluded from working in their career and voluntary work due to failing to comply with the requirement to be vaccinated.

Recently I was contacted by members of the AFA, which is the Australian Firefighters Alliance. The director of the AFA provided me with an email with the information that the brigade leadership had confirmed that they have suspended career firefighters that are not vaccinated, but the very same people who are not vaccinated are permitted to:

… freely volunteer at the very same station they are normally rostered, but are still prohibited to work there or enter the premises as an employee.

Let me just say that one more time: they are freely able to volunteer at the same station that they are normally rostered at, but they are not allowed to work there or enter the premises as a paid employee. I fail to see the sense in persisting with this form of discrimination of workers who volunteer their time in the same workplace and often do the same work as those that are paid. It appears to be completely inconsistent and inappropriate, as would be potential fines or restrictions placed on workplaces that employ people who are unvaccinated or who are not triple vaccinated.

In a state that boasts it is so progressive and tolerant, such restrictions in Victoria demonstrate shameful and inappropriate bias, bigotry and discrimination; in short, it is a lack of tolerance and a lack of progress. It is impossible to understand the draconian vaccination measures of this Labor Victorian government, and it is time to consider lifting the inconsistent restrictions that are persisting in making a nonsensical, inconsistent two-tier society.

In addition, the AFA are being contacted by firefighters who have been impacted by the vaccination. This week I met with a gentleman, one of Victoria’s firefighters, who was unable to have his third vaccination due to complications he developed from the first two vaccinations, and he has not been able to work as a result.