Mackay, Whitsunday councils slam state Covid mandate as driving confusion, division

Two local councils say the mandate is dividing their communities with businesses worried about ramifications. Here’s what they plan to do.

Two North Queensland councils have slammed the December 17 vaccination mandate as causing confusion and division within their communities.

The lashing from Whitsunday and Mackay Regional Councils comes after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced fully vaccinated Queenslanders would be “rewarded” from the deadline or once the state reached 80 per cent double dosed.

It comes after the both the Fraser Coast Council and Livingstone Shire Council also agreed to write to the Premier over the confusion and concerns.

Whitsunday Mayor Andrew Willcox said he could not believe how unfairly hospitality businesses would be hit under the ruling.

Cr Willcox presented a motion at the ordinary meeting of council on Wednesday that council would write to the premier asking her to consider the concerns of Whitsunday residents.

It also asked Ms Palaszczuk to reconsider the ban on unvaccinated people from entering certain premises.

Whitsunday Mayor Andrew Willcox, pictured with wife Raylene, is the next LNP candidate to take on the Dawson seat at the upcoming federal elections. He is pictured after winning the bid at the preselection meeting at Farview Tavern on August 29, 2021. Picture: Heidi Petith

But in what became a heated to-and-fro of remarks, Cr Bunker accused Cr Willcox of mixing up his candidacy for the federal seat of Dawson with his role as Mayor.

Cr Brunker moved the section about unvaccinated persons be removed from the letter as he said it differed from what was devised at a special briefing the day before.

Whitsunday Regional Councillor Mike Brunker said the Mayor was trying to hijack the motion by changing what was worded in a meeting the day before.

Cr Jan Clifford said the mandate was a “kneejerk” reaction and nonsensical, citing how a person with only their first jab could buy coffee from a service station but not a cafe.

She added it was “horrendous” businesses would have to lay off unvaccinated staff before Christmas.

“It’s un-bloody-Australian,” Cr Clifford said.

She also queried how police could enforce businesses booting customers out when the service was already under-resourced.

Whitsunday Councillor Jan Clifford spoke out about how the mandate would affect hospitality businesses. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Cr Clifford said businesses could perhaps instead advertise on their doorfronts about having unvaccinated staff, making it a customer choice whether or not to enter.

In Mackay, business owners presented fierce opposition to the mandate including John Van Polen who attended a freedom rally in the city along with thousands of others at the weekend.

“(People) feel they are being coerced to take the vaccines so they don’t lose their jobs, their livelihoods and the ability to care for their family,” Mr Van Polen said at the discussion of a mayoral minute on Wednesday.

He said the mandate was causing divide, a rise in mental health issues and suicide.

Three more small business owners stood up, echoing his sentiments including Gav Cass, of Rural View, who asked council to follow in Livingstone Council’s steps in pleading with the premier to reconsider restrictions.

Mackay Councillor Martin Bella said it was unconscionable and he was offended that suicide was used to promote an agenda and warned the virus was “very real despite what people say”.

“I need people to be realistic,” Cr Bella said.

“Despite Livingstone’s motion, they will still be subject to whatever mandate, directive the state government gives.”

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson rejected any notion the mayoral minute was pandering to anti-vaccination groups.

He said business owners were “rightly threatened” and confused from the little clarification given in the two weeks since the mandate’s announcement.

“(The minute’s) really just wanting the Premier and the state to articulate what we need to be prepared for on the December 17 because at the moment, not everyone’s playing with a full deck, or not playing with a deck at all, because we’ve just got threats.”

Cr Williamson also expressed concerns about policing the mandate.

“You can imagine what will happen … all of the ultra-extremities of both sides of the political debate, they’ll be there ready to test the coffee shop, McDonalds, the city library, they’ll be ready to test their ability to be kicked out and the police won’t be able to be everywhere,” he said.

Both councils unanimously passed motions to write to the Premier asking her to consider community feedback.

Mackay council’s motion also included asking her to consider that any directive took into account how it would impact the operation of local government and businesses.