Parliament votes to condemn George Christensen’s anti mask, lockdown speech

‘Some people will catch it. Some people will tragically die from it. That‘s inevitable and we have to accept it.’ The Dawson MP labelled the parliamentary motion against him ‘absolutely unbelievable’.

Maverick MP George Christensen has labelled a motion condemning his comments on masks and lockdowns in parliament as “absolutely unbelievable”.

In a shock bipartisan vote in parliament, his own party failed to defend him when Labor launched a motion against his “mad theories” asserting masks and lockdowns did not work.

The explosive comments were made just prior to Question Time on Tuesday before Labor brought the vote.

Mr Christensen said his own party remained silent for the vote and did not stand up for him.

“Some people will catch it, some people will tragically die from it,” the Dawson MP had said in his speech to parliament.

“When will the madness end, how many more freedoms will we lose to fear of a virus which has a survivability rate of 997 out of 1000?

“It’s time we stop spreading fear and acknowledging some facts.”

Mr Christensen said his comments about masks failing to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were fact and made in his support of people having the freedom to decline wearing them.

“Masks do not work, fact,” he said in parliament.

“Lockdowns don’t work, fact.

“Lockdowns don’t destroy the virus, but they do destroy people’s livelihoods and people’s lives.

“Studies have shown they can even increase mortality rates.

“Domestic vaccine passports are a form of discrimination. Fact.

“We are all human beings, no body should be restricted from everyday life because their medical choices, especially when vaccinated people can still catch and spread Covid-19.”

Mr Christensen said Covid-19 was “going to be with us forever, just like the flu”.

“And just like the flu we will have to live with it not in constant fear of it,” he said.

Mr Christensen does however wear a mask when public health directions require him to do so.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese made a motion to condemn Mr Christensen’s comments and slammed the MP for using a prime time slot to “spread misinformation and undermine the actions of Australians to defeat Covid”.

Mr Albanese said the house rejected claims that masks and lockdowns did not work and “the describing of our medical workers as dictatorial medical bureaucrats”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would call out misinformation but refrained from naming Mr Christensen.

“Whether it’s posted on Facebook or on social media, whether it’s written in an article or anywhere else,” he said.

“What I’m not going to do is I’m not going to engage in a partisan debate on this.

“Australians aren’t interested in the noise of Covid, they’re not interested in the shouting of Covid.”

When the time came to vote on the motion, the majority of MPs were in favour of condemning Mr Christensen’s stance. Not one person could be heard against the motion.

Mr Christensen told this publication Mr Albanese’s argument his speech was based on conspiracy theories was false and said any doctor or “reputable” immunologist would agree Covid-19 could not be eradicated.

“That was my point, it will be with us forever” he said.