Ambulance Victoria probes paramedic over anti-mandatory jab stance

Ambulance Victoria is investigating a paramedic allegedly behind a growing anti-mandatory vaccination movement inside the organisation.

Ambulance Victoria has launched an investigation into a paramedic allegedly behind a growing anti-mandatory jab movement. Picture: David Caird

Almost 800 Victorian doctors, nurses, police and teachers have signed on with contentious anti-mandatory vaccination group Red Union.

Red Union said those members had all joined in the past fortnight, almost exclusively in reaction to orders that unvaccinated workers would lose their jobs.

It comes as Ambulance Victoria has launched an investigation into a paramedic allegedly behind a growing anti-mandatory vax movement inside the organisation.

Hundreds of Ambulance Victoria employees remain unvaccinated despite staff being given priority access to the vaccine.

Paramedic Jessica Davis is under investigation over a series of social media posts in which she criticises the mandatory vax requirement for ambulance workers.

“I’m pro vaccine, just under voluntary conditions, that’s all,” she said.

“I feel if you make anything voluntary, you’ll have more people accepting it, if people are coerced, they back right off. We’re going nowhere fast.

“Maybe … they don’t want to gamble with a ‘rare’ adverse reaction. I think that’s fair enough and doesn’t need to be any further justified.

“Where there is a ‘rare’ risk there must be choice.”

Victorian Paramedic Jessica Davis is being investigated over social media posts criticising mandatory vaccinations.

The Ambulance Union says it has been flooded with complaints about Ms Davis, while formal complaints have been lodged with the health regulator.

Paramedic sources said the Reignite Democracy movement – an anti-lockdown and anti-vax movement led by reality TV personality Monica Smit – was infiltrating Ambulance Victoria.

Red Union says its figures show that in the past two weeks 317 Victorian nurses, 101 doctors, 288 teachers and 90 police went on the books.

Although only a fraction of the total number in each occupation’s workforce, they are an unwanted potential headache in key areas as Victoria moves out of lockdown.

Vaccine uptake across the various sectors has been higher with more than 92 per cent of Ambulance Victoria staff already vaccinated.

In the prison system 95 per cent of staff at Ravenhall Correctional Centre and 90 per cent of staff at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre have received their first jab.

Red Union, which has been labelled a “fake union” by the ACTU, says employers should be looking for solutions rather than sacking people.

Rapid antigen testing and deploying resistant workers “back of house” were two possible measures suggested by its managing director Jack McGuire.

But Victoria Police has already resorted to using those in non-frontline roles because they are so stretched by additional Covid commitments, including quarantine, border patrol and protest duties.

“That’s a good argument but that conversation needs to happen,” Mr McGuire said.

“They can’t just use a public health order to run a truck through workplace health and safety laws and human rights laws.”

But one police source said the issue should not be just about the rights of workers.

“What about the community? Do you want to be treated by an unvaccinated doctor or nurse? Do you reckon the copper who comes to your house should have had the jab?” the source said.

A total of 210 Victoria Police employees have registered interest with a Melbourne-based group which is co-ordinating opposition to the no-vax no-job edict.

Mr McGuire said his body was not a Liberal-National Party front, as has been claimed by its opponents.

He said those critics were mainly traditional labour movement figures miffed that Red Union was costing their organisations money.

“We’ll take support from any political party. We won’t give support to any political party,” Mr McGuire said.

An Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) spokesperson said the body was investigating multiple registered health practitioners for failing to meet the requirements of their codes of conduct.

This included advocating views that were contrary to public health advice without appropriate evidence to substantiate those views,” she said.

“Provision of health advice which contradicts the best available scientific evidence is not supported by the 15 National Boards that regulate Australia’s 800,000+ registered health practitioners,” she said.

“Providing such health advice may be in breach of the codes of conduct and subject to investigation and possible regulatory action. Information about possible regulatory outcomes is on the AHPRA website.”

The Sunday Herald Sun attempted to contact Ms Davis for comment.