A Letter to the Premier

To Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk,

                                                              I am writing this letter to you to address the issue of standing NRL players down for not getting the flu shot. This is a response to the Covid-19 situation, that many Australians feel is going too far.

We understand that you are under a lot of pressure, and based on various different medical experts, have had to make decisions regarding our borders. It has been reported in various media outlets, that in tandem with advice from the Queensland government certain NRL players have been stood down, pending their acceptance of a flu shot, and other NRL players will not be allowed into the state. We understand that Queensland’s chief medical officer, a government official is directing these guidelines.

I am not opposed to vaccines. We have vaccinated our children, gotten the flu shot regularly ourselves, and have asked family to get whooping cough injections before visiting our children when they were born. We have adhered to medical advice and chosen to get these vaccinations over time.

We understand that for the vast majority of people getting a flu shot is safe, and won’t have any serious medical effects. But every medical intervention comes with risk, and some people don’t know that they cannot have it, until after they have had it and had ill effects. We understand you are making provisions in your directions for people who can’t get it for medical reasons. But people should have, and have had in this country for some time now, the right to choose, and not have their job under threat for declining. People should be allowed to make their own choices.

Is there any evidence that NRL teams are nexuses of transferring viruses?

Is there any evidence that the fittest, healthiest people in the world, professional athletes are in the same risk categories as the ordinary Aussie, or risks of spreading the virus if kept away from contact with the public?

If there is, we would be interested to hear this communicated and expressed, so we can see the reasoning for your decision.

As it stands, we stand with NRL players, and AFL, and any other sport for that matter, or indeed Australian, to make this choice on their own. We do not support them being compelled to comply and ask that you grant them a right they have long had: to make the decision for themselves whether or not they will receive a vaccination.

We ask you to reconsider this action. We understand you are under pressure, and know that this time is hard for our leaders, just as it is for many others.

Please consider this point: we just want people to have the right to choose, what is put in their own bodies.

Blessings.

Signed