The Katter Australia Party will attempt a movement in Queensland Parliament to scrap the vaccine mandates, or at least make it more difficult for the Palaszczuk government to enforce them.
Katter Australia Party Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter and KAP Deputy Leader and Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto addressed the media earlier today regarding their desire to limit the Chief Health Officer's powers when implementing vaccine mandates.
"Us moving this amendment doesn't remove their ability altogether to still mandate things, it just means they can't do it on a whim, or at least they can't do it immediately and have that continued power," Mr Katter said.
"They'd have to take it back into Parliament each time and and work for it
"I think this is the least of what we should be doing and KAP will be spearheading that in parliament with an amendment to stop an overreach of those powers."
Speaking to Queensland Country Life, Mr Katter said that his party has remained firm on their view of the mandates, saying they are being used as a political tool and creating many societal issues.
"The KAP were strongly opposed to the mandate right from the start and we've maintained that position," he said.
"A lot of peripheral issues surrounding the treatment of Coronavirus are now compounding that impetus to remove the mandate, like the mental health, issues of social division, economic disruption and the stress put on all the hospitality industries.
"It's hard not to think that the government would see an opportunity to normalise this overreach that they have, and I think that's a real risk.
"That's why the Human Rights Commission has been very explicit in saying that this is an overreach and it's set a very dangerous precedent.
"I, for one, do not trust the Palaszuzck government one bit so I don't want to be giving them additional powers to control any further outbreaks."
Mr Katter said he was confident that the One Nation MP Steve Andrews would support the movement, but said many politicians were worried about being labelled as "anti vaxxers."
However, the KAP are not concerned about being berated for calling out the mandates, which they believe are "now causing more harm than good."
"The government could form an argument that the reason we are safe is because of all the things they put in place. However, I would argue that it had less to do with their direction and more to do with people trying to help themselves," Mr Katter said.
"Labour government in Queensland has seen political success linked with the COVID response, so it stands to reason that they'd see strong political value in maintaining a position of weakness.
"That would be the KAP's strongest opposition to this, is that the government would do this at any cost, and the cost in our view is immense."
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