Citizens Gather In Park For Right To Choose
With the looming mandatory requirement for staff to be fully vaccinated by 17 December 2021, citizens of Queensland have become increasingly concerned for their future freedoms regarding choice surrounding the vaccine and their ability to be employed, conduct their business, or indeed just to take their child to the cinema or go to a cafe if they remain unvaccinated.
We recently attended a ‘community consultation’, led by Scenic Rim Division 2 Councillor Jeff McConnell, in Jubilee Park at Beaudesert to hear first hand regular community members voice these fears.
Presenting as “your voice in Council”, Cr McConnell wanted to make it clear that the gathering was not an anti-vax protest or a rally about being vaxed or unvaxed, instead it was a pro choice anti-mandate community consultation where members of the public, particularly small business owners and operators, could come to speak on their fears and voice their concerns about the upcoming mandate and the effect it will have on their businesses, their staff, and their livelihood. It was about ordinary people worried about their loss of choice and the effect the mandate will mean for them in terms of financial stability.
Speakers also questioned “why are we unsafe now and not some months ago when the borders were open; and the need for a ‘vaccine passport’ to move around freely, remarking “If you need a pass to prove you are free, then you are not!”
Cr Jeff McConnell indicated he planned to take a motion to the next Ordinary Council Meeting for the Scenic Rim Council to follow the lead of other northern Queensland councils to support becoming an ‘anti-mandate council’.
The gathering of citizens remained peaceful and respectful – simply wanting to be heard in a supportive environment about their need for right of choice – no matter what their choice!