A Tasmanian government MP has been criticized for making a “worrying” decision to sponsor a petition to the state parliament containing misinformation related to the vaccine.
Key points:
- Liberal MP John Tucker has sponsored a petition questioning his constituents’ mask and vaccine warrants
- Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff says the petition contrasts with the government’s COVID-19 strategy
- Tucker says he understands and supports his government’s position, but is exercising his right to represent community members
Liberal MP John Tucker has sponsored a petition to the state parliament stating that the mandates for vaccines and masks imposed by the government of which he is a member “have not stopped the spread or mitigated the risks of contracting COVID-19 in Tasmania” .
He also argues that “there is a growing public concern that vaccinations and masks are unsafe” and calls on the Tasmanian government to lift all vaccination mandates and end the requirements of masks in schools, medical clinics and transportation.
Green MP Rosalie Woodruff, who is an epidemiologist, said it was worrying that Mr Tucker had put his name on a petition that contained false and dangerous information about the spread of COVID-19.
“It is in stark contrast to the government’s stated goal, which is to encourage people to take public health measures, such as wearing masks and getting fully vaccinated,” he said.
John Tucker says he understands the importance of vaccines, but responds to a request from a voter. (ABC News)
“This petition calls into question these two basic parts of our response to keep people safe, and that ‘s what is dangerous.
“I don’t understand why any member of Parliament would put their name on something that goes so clearly against the public interest.”
In a statement, Mr Tucker said he was exercising his right to represent the Tassmanians who had called for his concerns to be heard by parliament.
“I advised the party hall to submit the petition on behalf of community members who have requested it,” Tucker said.
“To be clear, I understand the importance of vaccination in mitigating the serious effects of COVID-19 and I support our government’s position to follow public health advice.”
Labor leader Rebecca White said that given the content of the petition, “you really have to wonder why John Tucker agreed to sponsor it.”
“It is totally contradictory to everything his prime minister has said publicly,” he said.
Government members wore masks during Treasurer Michael Ferguson’s budget speech. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)
Senior Minister Guy Barnett said it was not uncommon for MPs to sponsor petitions despite disagreeing with their content and described it as a normal part of parliamentary democracy.
“John Tucker supports public health advice and government policy,” he said.
“Secondly, it is not uncommon for members of parliament to support members of their local community who may or may not have a similar view to them to express it through parliament.”
The Greens say the petition that vaccinations can be dangerous is “clear against the public interest.” (ABC News: Maren Preuss)
“Wide evidence” measures work
Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia, said the petition’s claims that vaccine warrants and mask requirements had not helped reduce the spread of the disease were incorrect.
“There is a lot of evidence that face masks can reduce transmission,” he said.
Professor Esterman said the masks were safe for children over the age of six.
He said the evidence showed that vaccinations helped reduce transmission by reducing the chances of getting infected, with a third dose providing “fairly good protection” against infection with the Omicron strain for several months.
“That’s why it’s so critical to get that third dose,” he said.
Epidemiologist Adrian Esterman says there is “extensive evidence” that masks reduce COVID transmission. (ABC News)
“Being vaccinated protects against transmission? Yes, if you have this third dose, not so much if you only have two.”
Professor Esterman said the vaccines appeared to be safe for children and noted that there were more than 30 reports of Australian children contracting COVID-19 and developing “multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children”, which was a very common condition. hard.
Want more news from Tasmania?
Set up the ABC News website or application in “Tasmania Top Stories” from the homepage or in the application settings menu to continue receiving the same national news, but with some state stories most relevant.
Here’s a taste of Tasmania’s latest stories:
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume. Clock time: 4 minutes 24 seconds 4 m 24 s At the age of 105, May Harrison survived COVID, but experts warn Australians to be careful.
What you need to know about coronavirus:
Loading form …
Posted 10 hours, 10 hours ago, Monday, May 30, 2022 at 7:03 AM, updated 9 hours ago, 9 hours ago, Monday, May 30, 2022 at 7:50 AM