Newsroom

March 31, 2022

Queenslanders will continue to live indefinitely with the vaccine mandates imposed by the Chief Health Officer after the Palaszczuk Labor Government used its numbers in the Parliament to reject an opportunity to debate Katter’s Australian Party’s amendment designed to scrap them.

This evening the Queensland Parliament debated the Palaszczuk Labor Government's Public Health and Other Legislation (Extension of Expiring Provisions) Amendment Bill 2022.

Katter's Australian Party MPs, as well as the Opposition and other cross-benchers, voted against the controversial legislation which extends the Chief Health Officer’s extraordinary powers until October 31, 2022.

KAP Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter attempted to move an amendment that would remove the Chief Health Officer’s powers to put in place vaccine mandates.

However Labor used its numbers to dismiss the KAP’s request for debate.

“People want freedom,” Mr Katter said.  

“People want the Government out of their everyday lives.

“We have to learn to live with the virus, and that does not involve extending extraordinary powers that should be reserved for war-time or the most severe of disasters, including pandemics.

“We knew that Labor was always going to use its numbers in the Parliament to pass the legislation, so through my attempted amendment the KAP gave the Government an additional opportunity to scrap the vaccine mandates imposed by the Chief Health Officer.

“Vaccine mandates have caused division in our society, contributed to critical workforce shortages and devastated some people financially due to forced job losses.

“At 92 per cent vaccinated, we are not getting ‘any more vaccinated’.

“Our leaders need to let Queenslanders be in control of and responsible for their own health.”