Robbie Katter has warned class sizes could double, important subjects be scrapped and schools in rural and remote locations be forced to close as a result of Queensland's new teacher and school support staff COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
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The new mandate, announced in the Queensland Parliament Tuesday will apply to private and public schools and include teachers, support and administration staff, volunteers and those entering for supply and maintenance.
Queensland will mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone aged over 16 who enters a school, childcare centre, prison or airport for work with premier Annastacia Palaszczuk saying teachers, guards, volunteers, cleaners, maintenance and other workers must have had one dose by December 17 and be fully vaccinated by January 23 to enter any "high-risk settings".
Concentrating on the effect to schools, KAP Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter said Queensland was already facing a teacher shortage, the impacts of which were more acutely felt in the regions where schools consistently struggled to recruit and retain quality staff.
He said he feared thousands of crucial teaching and support staff would be lost to Queensland's schools as a result of today's decision, and called for all governments to respect individual choice when it comes to vaccines.
"We are seeing breath-taking arrogance on the issue of mandates right across our country," Mr Katter said.
"Our vaccination rates are outstandingly high and continuing to rise - education and not coercion is what's needed from our leaders on this topic."
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Reiterating a point he made at the Mount Isa anti vax mandate meeting on Monday, Mr Katter said the KAP encouraged Queenslanders to talk to their doctors and make this personal choice based on the best medical advice available to them.
"The KAP absolutely respects there are unprecedented risks to our health system and communities at present, and this is why we have pushed our pro-choice message on vaccines alongside the use of regulated, rapid antigen testing for those who remain unvaccinated," he said.
Mr Katter said other Australian states have mandated vaccines for school staff in recent months, but these have been met with a mixed response and have heightened concerns of unsustainable staff shortages.
He said there were fears the NSW mandate that came into effect on November 9 will result in the loss of more than 2500 school staff members.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
