Australians finally have an opportunity to tell their stories about the impacts of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, coercion and discrimination to a parliamentary inquiry. One Nation’s COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2022 will feature in a Senate inquiry that will report to Parliament in June.

As I noted this week after talking with Australian firefighters, vaccine mandates are still preventing good, experienced people from re-entering the workforce. It’s offensive that firefighters aren’t being allowed to do what they do best and protect the Australian community just because they stand for their right to choose what’s best for their health. It makes no sense to deny them their jobs because the evidence is crystal clear: the jabs don’t prevent people from catching or transmitting COVID-19. It’s stories like these Parliament needs to hear from Australians who were punished – and are still being punished – for rejecting the jabs. This inquiry is their chance to be heard. Keeping these mandates is pure bloody-mindedness by state governments. Many of them are contradictory, for example when workers in Queensland’s private health system can work without the jabs but workers in the public system can’t.

It doesn’t make sense, unless they’re just out to hurt and punish Australians who stand up for their rights. The best submissions are those which follow an inquiry’s terms of reference. You can track the inquiry here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/VaccineDiscrimination so you can be alerted when those terms of reference are established, and when the committee will accept submissions and hold public hearings.

We’ll continue to push the Prime Minister on his promise to hold a Royal Commission into the pandemic, but this inquiry is another opportunity for Australians to get their stories about vaccine discrimination on the record and I encourage you to take part.