CORONAVIRUS — MANDATORY VACCINATIONS —FIRE
AND EMERGENCY SERVICES VOLUNTEERS
789. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to answers provided in the
Legislative Council that confirm volunteer firefighters will be required to be
vaccinated in order to fight fires. I refer also to the advice on 19 October
from the Chief Health Officer, and I quote his words —
The voluntary DFES workforce, while
critical in their regional and rural areas, have a similar risk to the community. Vaccination should be encouraged in
this workforce, but this group is not currently recommended for
mandatory vaccination.
What has changed and where is the
relevant health advice to support that change?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER: I give the call
to the Minister for Emergency Services. It looks like a lot of other people
would have liked to have been asked the question, but it is actually to the
Minister for Emergency Services.
Mr R.R.
WHITBY replied:
I wonder why members opposite want
to undermine our efforts to get people vaccinated, I really do. I stand here
today unequivocally saying to all first responders, whether they be career
firefighters or volunteers: get vaccinated. The member is referring to, in the
first tranche, the health orders involving career firefighters. The health
directions changed and —
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
Mr R.R. WHITBY: I am
explaining it to you. The first tranche included career firefighters. The
second tranche includes volunteer emergency responders. Nothing has changed.
There is one tranche. There is a second tranche. I would say to you what you
can do is get out in your communities and urge everyone to be vaccinated.
Please do not raise division, uncertainty or concern about this. We need to get
people vaccinated.