Thursday, 7 March 2024

COVID-19 vaccination

David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:01): (777) My adjournment matter today is for the Minister for Health. Victoria’s health system is continuing to struggle under the weight of multiple issues that are resulting in labour shortages, particularly of experienced, skilled frontline workers. Perhaps the shortages are a result of an increase in the number of graduates and students entering the workforce, who require more attention and supervision from existing trained staff, or the growing tendency towards part-time hours, meaning that full-time staff are taking on excessive overtime hours or leaving gaps on work rosters.

The Queensland Supreme Court has recently overruled the legality of vaccine mandates for police and ambulance services for reasons which may not be relevant to Victoria. However, the decision in Queensland has shown that it is possible and perhaps necessary to revise our approach to vaccine mandates. It is imperative that the Victorian government consider the continued impact of these mandates not only on the individual rights and bodily autonomy of Victorians but also on the efficacy and sustainability of our healthcare services. The mandates have sidelined experienced and skilled professionals who are otherwise ready and willing to contribute to our healthcare system. I have been contacted countless times by nurses and other healthcare workers who are still forced to travel in a fly-in fly-out style to states like South Australia to get work, some after serving 30 years in Victoria’s healthcare system, because of our continued requirements that are not enforced elsewhere.

Removal or modification of the COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health workers will open the doors to allow these experienced and skilled professionals to return to the industry and use their experience to help Victorians. I call on the minister to request a review of Victoria’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a measure to remove the mandates so that we can re-engage experienced health professionals who have been excluded from the workforce in Victoria.