Outgoing Senator Sam McMahon compares NT vax mandate to Nazi Germany
Senator Sam McMahon has landed in hot water with a prominent Jewish organisation after comparing the Gunner government’s vaccine mandate with living under Nazi rule.
Northern Territory
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UPDATE: THE Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has condemned NT Senator Sam McMahon’s comments comparing the NT’s vaccination policies to Nazi Germany.
AIJAC’ international and community affairs director Jeremy Jones said Senator McMahon’s comments were “offensive to Jewish people”.
“It is almost unbelievable that she would use a regime unparalleled in its brutality as shorthand for a policy decision in a democratic society she thinks represents overreach,” Mr Jones said.
Federal Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, whose father fled Nazi Germany, said the comments were “utterly repellent”. “Nothing in Australia comes close to the evil of the Nazis, and Senator McMahon should use what little time she has left in parliament to withdraw these remarks, and apologise,” Mr Dreyfus said.
Senator McMahon on Thursday doubled down on her stance after initially comparing the NT government’s vaccination mandate with living in Nazi Germany.
“This is a perfect example of look-away politics – create a diversion to deflect attention from his government’s hopelessly flawed vaccine rollout,” she said.
UPDATE: CLP Senator Sam McMahon has doubled down on saying the NT’s vaccine mandate is akin to living Nazi Germany after drawing condemnation from her own party.
Speaking exclusively to the NT News on Thursday afternoon, Senator McMahon said her comments weren’t offensive because she had “a lot of Jewish friends”.
When asked whether she had offended the Jewish community, she said: “I’ve not linked this to the Holocaust”.
“All I said was that the totalitarian approach taken by Michael Gunner, people could well think that this is more like Nazi Germany than the Northern Territory,” she said.
“It’s not disrespectful to anybody, it’s nothing to do with the Holocaust.
“This is just a very totalitarian approach to take to be mandating that citizens have to undergo a medical procedure in order to be employed.”
Senator McMahon’s office earlier on Thursday released a statement saying the mandate was akin to living in Nazi Germany. She described the mandate as “heavy-handed”.
CLP president Jamie De Brenni moved to distance himself from the comments, releasing a one-line statement on Thursday afternoon.
“The inappropriate comment made by the senator is her own personal views and not supported by the CLP,” Mr De Brenni said.
Reacting to the CLP Senator’s comments, Mr Gunner called on Senator McMahon and the CLP to apologise to the local Jewish community.
“Dr Dvir Abramovich spoke on behalf of the Jewish community this week about how comparisons between mandatory vaccination and Nazi Germany made Jewish people feel,” Mr Gunner said.
It comes as industry groups express concern about the extra burden placed on their members by the NT government’s vaccine mandate, announced on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner revealed that workers who fulfil certain criteria will need to have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by November 13, and fully vaccinated by December 25.
Those who fail to comply will be forced to either resign or move to a role that does not expose them to people at a high risk of severe Covid.
Businesses are required to keep a register of their employee’s vaccination status.
The mandate is the strictest of any government in the nation, prompting concerns that employers and workers would be drawn into confrontation.
Master Builders NT chief executive David Malone said his members acknowledged that “Covid was coming”.
But Mr Malone expressed concern about the legalities of asking employees for their vaccination status.
Under the chief health officer new directions, businesses will be required to keep a register of the vaccination status of all employees.
“We also can’t hide the fact that (Wednesday’s) announcement will put employers on a collision course with some of their people. Some will now get vaccinated,” Mr Malone said.
“But we can expect some employees to walk as well.
“Business owners and managers still have every right to get frustrated with the general nature of CHO orders.”
NT Police Association president Paul McCue said only 70 per cent of police officers in the Territory had had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“The safety, health and wellbeing of our members will always be the primary focus of the NT Police Association,” Mr McCue said.
“Those who are unable or are unwilling to get vaccinated will be guided through the process with the Department on a case-by-case basis.”
Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said his organisation had asked government for a template to register vaccinated workers.
“By-and-large, our venues and our workforce are complying with the call for vaccination,” Mr Bruce said.
“We already have registers for responsible service of alcohol and gaming.” He said businesses would need to determine who needed the jab.
EARLIER: OUTGOING CLP Senator Sam McMahon has compared the NT government’s mandatory vaccination policy to something out of Nazi Germany.
The statement has been labelled “outrageously insensitive” by Chief Minister Michael Gunner, while her own party has distanced itself from the comments and labelled them “insensitive”.
It comes a day after Mr Gunner unveiled one of the world’s strictest vaccine policies, requiring employees who interact with the public to have received at least their first dose by November 13.
Employees who refuse will be unable to work and could cop $5000 fine if they’re caught working while unvaccinated.
In a public statement on Thursday morning, Senator McMahon described the stance as a “massively heavy-handed approach”.
“From the announcement you could be forgiven for thinking we’re living in Nazi Germany, not the Northern Territory,” she said.
“This is a perfect example of look-away politics – create a diversion to deflect attention from his government’s hopelessly flawed vaccine rollout.”
Nazi Germany was a regime responsible for the genocide of more than six million Jewish people, people with disabilities and homosexuals.
Senator McMahon said the policy also burdened businesses, who were required to compile lists of employees and their vaccination status.
“Businesses will be so busy checking whether people are vaccinated or not they will have little to no time to actually carry out their work.
“Mr Gunner should wait until the results of those cases are handed down before making such sweeping decisions, affecting the lives of thousands of Territorians.
“Not only is he demanding what people do with their own bodies, he is potentially sending them broke with the proposed $5,000 fines.”
In a statement, Mr Gunner hit back at the comments, saying they were insensitive and misplaced.
“Dr Dvir Abramovich spoke on behalf of the Jewish community this week about how comparisons between mandatory vaccination and Nazi Germany made Jewish people feel,” Mr Gunner said.
“I believe the most dignified way at to respond to these outrageously insensitive comments by Senator McMahon is to quote from the Dr Abramovich - ‘Such foolish equations demean the murder of millions of Jews and others and are historically inaccurate and extreme’.
“I trust the CLP will do the right by our local Jewish community and apologise for these outrageously insensitive remarks.”
CLP president Jamie De Brenni on Thursday afternoon moved to distance the party from its own federal senator.
“The inappropriate comment made by the senator is her own personal views and not
supported by the CLP,” Mr De Brenni said.
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Originally published as Outgoing Senator Sam McMahon compares NT vax mandate to Nazi Germany
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