Shadow Minister for Health, Bill Yan, says mounting pressure from the CLP, industry, local businesses and the wider public has forced the Gunner Labor Government to backtrack on its ludicrous Vaccine Pass restrictions and scrap it altogether.
“The Gunner Government’s desperate attempts to cling to COVID controls, while Labor’s relevance amid the crime, economic, health and integrity crisis deteriorates – is fooling no one.
“The chaos of COVID control has been on full display this month, with shambolic and contradictory rules casting doubt in the minds of Territorians whether this is the best health advice, or poor policy and Government desperation.
“Scrapping the Vax Pass makes total sense, and it should have been done weeks ago. How has the Chief Health Officer’s (CHO) advice changed so dramatically in just a fortnight? If I was a betting man I’d say this latest shambles is a Gunner Government special, and if it was genuine health advice, then that’s pretty scary.
“Territorians shouldn’t have to fight this hard to force the Chief Minister to see reason. It has moved from incompetent and desperate, to terrifying that the Gunner Government is legislating to give the CHO unfettered power and control for two more years without requiring any detailed report on the evidence and advice.
“The chaotic rule changes do not pass the pub test and neither does giving an unelected official that much power without adequate scrutiny.
“After quietly introducing new rules which would allow unvaccinated people to attend sporting events as long as they didn’t drink – that had no media conference and no CHO appearance – the Health Minister has struggled to outline what health advice was relied on to make the decision.
“Now, in a desperate attempt to distract, the Gunner Government is backpedalling from its cluster of COVID failures.
“Labor should not be patting itself on the back over the decision to scrap the Vax Pass. Instead of using common sense, the Chief Minister and Health Minister have been forced into an embarrassing backflip on measures that were confusing, contradictory, and demonised Territory businesses with a liquor licence.
“This further reinforces the CLP’s calls for regular reporting, of the evidence and advice the CHO is providing government and how that advice is being implemented, to parliament. Territorians don’t need another two years of public health emergency measures – after the public health emergency officially ends in June. “The CLP believe that if the CHO needs power then the Gunner Government need to justify to the public extending the emergency declaration, not get around it by giving two years of unfettered powers for the CHO – and there must be full reporting to parliament,” said Mr Yan.
ENDS