By staff writers

A retired Queensland police officer says the Queensland Police Union “are a bunch of cowards” for not supporting its members over informed choice with the Covid jab.

(Back) Former veteran police officer, Phil Nataro; Tracy Tully, Teachers Union and nurse, Margaret Gilbert, (Front) Leader of Katters Australian party, Robbie Katter and KAP Member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto slammed the Labor Government and Liberal Opposition for their ongoing silence about Parliamentarians being forced to get the jab.

The Queensland Police Union President and former officer Ian Leavers is probably best known for his controversial public comments a few years ago “…only police officers should be allowed to own firearms…” in Queensland.

This is the union, like a lot of others that has become part and parcel of the Queensland Labor Party government. Perhaps the most outstanding, recent example of union and government solidarity was in Melbourne last week when many thousands of paid-up CFMEU members took to the streets in defiance of the corrupt Daniels’ regime of forced jabs and the union’s leadership being in bed with the corrupt Premier Andrew Daniels. Melbourne is now proving to be a Chinese Communist Party enclave after it was discovered last year the Victoria Labor Party was in solid partnership with the Chinese government.

Speaking on the podium with leader of Katters Australian Party, Robbie Katter, veteran cop Phil Nataro was scathing of the union which he said was once a very powerful body.

He said it was none of the government’s business if he was vaccinated or not.

“I shouldn’t have to tell anyone if I am vaccinated or not, it’s a personal choice,” Mr Nataro told the news conference.

“That’s what this is all about. Now we have unprecedented bullying and segregation in the police force and it needs to stop and someone in the executive leadership team has to grow a head and say enough is enough.

“You can’t keep doing this to your members.”

Representing the Teachers Union Tracy Tully and nurse Margaret Gilbert also castigated the Labor government for forcing union members out of their jobs over a lack of informed consent.

Ms Tully said the Public Service in Queensland and Australia was abusing its power and the Westminster system of government.

“They are not following the rules and regulations and they must consult comprehensively and they must provide risk assessment which they are not doing.”

Citing the hypocrisy of the current double standards when the Premier refuses to mandate the jab for politicians, Mr Katter said the motion would be designed to test whether “what’s good enough for the goose was good enough for the gander” in Queensland.  

Mr Katter said all levels of government had pushed the boundaries on individual choice, personal freedom and civic liberties over the last 18 months in the name of the pandemic.  

He said one of the worst examples was elected leaders’ silence on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for State’s 15,000-strong police workforce and 90,000 Queensland Health employees.

To date, Education Minister Grace Grace has not ruled out mandating vaccinations for Queensland teachers and early childhood educators.

“While the KAP has encouraged all Queenslanders to have a conversation with their doctor about getting the vaccination, we are staunchly opposed to vaccine mandates,” Mr Katter said.

“In particular we have an issue with the way people’s employment and their fundamental need to earn an income has been used coercively to demand they comply.

“Our offices have been contacted by people right across the State, many who are employed in the policing and nursing professions, who feel very strongly about the importance of choice with relation to vaccines – however they feel they are unable to speak out.

“Yet at the same the requirements that have been forced on to our police, our nurses and health care workers, possibly our teachers and many in the private sector, are not required of politicians.

“We feel this smacks of double standards and arrogance and would like to know what justification the Premier and Opposition Leader have for their silence on this.”

Mr Katter said if the Parliament was unwilling to mandate vaccines for politicians, it should immediately ban double-jabs being required for other workers.