Thursday, 19 June 2025

 Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) presented a petition bearing 3367 signatures:

The Petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council the need for decision-makers to reconsider the current vaccine mandates imposed on not only healthcare workers but all workers in Victoria. With the state of emergency declared over, it is time to reassess whether these strict measures are still warranted for not only healthcare workers but all workers in Victoria. High vaccination rates and acquired immunity have significantly decreased risk levels. According to data from the Department of Health, as of February 2022, over 90 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and above have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. This high level of immunity should be taken into account when evaluating the necessity and effectiveness of current mandates. At present, the operational Ambulance Victoria paramedics are voicing their concerns through messages on the ambulance vehicles, expressing their concerns for their health and wellbeing, and stating they are essentially ‘burning out’. The vaccine directions are directly contributing to the staff shortage issue and impacting the quality and safety of the public across the state within all industries. A review should be undertaken with an open mind toward getting our Victorian healthcare employees and all Victorian workers back to work to avoid further compromising public safety or individual rights. The review should diligently consider the current risk versus benefit of keeping the vaccine instructions in place for Victoria and conclude that the mandates for COVID-19 and flu vaccines are no longer required for all Victorian workers. A state directive should be issued, effective immediately, to all Victorian employers to offer all Victorian citizens who had their employment terminated because they did not comply with vaccine mandates, to be reinstated into the positions they held before their termination. The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to review the current vaccine mandate directions in place, cease the COVID-19 and flu vaccine directions; effectively immediately and issue a state directive to enable Victorian employers to reinstate employees who had their employment terminated due to non-compliance with vaccine mandates.