John Barilaro’s wife praised efforts by a conservative Liberal to ban mandatory vaccination

The wife of NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has publicly contradicted her husband’s position on mandatory vaccinations.

NSW Nationals Leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro with his wife Deanna. Picture: Kym Smith

The wife of NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has publicly contradicted her husband’s position on mandatory vaccinations by throwing her support behind a conservative Liberal MP seeking to have the measure banned.

Mr Barilaro’s wife Deanna praised the efforts of Liberal MP Tanya Davies, who is lobbying against the Berejiklian government’s recent signalling that workplace participation could become contingent on Covid-19 immunisation.

Vaccinations are not mandatory in NSW, however constructions workers from at-risk areas are required to be immunised; other industries, including those in hospitality, are calling for similar measures to be introduced.

Earlier this week the NSW Nationals leader exchanged a series of emails with Ms Davies after the Mulgoa MP indicated she would seek to introduce a private members bill banning the government and businesses from mandating vaccinations.

The move was prompted by Mr Barilaro’s announcement at the weekend that construction workers from Sydney’s eight Covid-19 hot spots would need at least one vaccination dose before they would be permitted to return to their worksites.

Deanna Barilaro was one of nearly 2,000 people who ‘liked’ a post written by Ms Davies on Facebook saying that she had been overwhelmed with “messages, calls and responses” from people backing her campaign.

She also left a comment, saying: “Well done! Totally support you!”

Asked about the contradiction, Mr Barilaro told The Australian: “Vaccines are not mandatory, but they are our ticket to freedom, and Tanya’s narrative is spreading dangerous misinformation,” he said, adding, “My wife Deanna has her own views and is entitled to express her opinion”.

In his email to Ms Davies earlier this week, Mr Barilaro described her bill to ban mandatory vaccinations as one that attacked the very freedoms she was attempting to preserve.

“Everything about this Bill and the message it sends is dangerous, irresponsible, and threatens lives,” he wrote, according to the email obtained by The Australian.

Ms Davies replied by taking aim at the prime minister, NSW premier and the NSW crisis cabinet, which she said had failed NSW residents by being unable to “find a better way out of this pandemic”.

Her proposed bill has the support of some conservative backbench MPs, but it failed to gain traction among members of the broader Liberal party room.