by Ganesh Sahathevan
In 2017 Robert Gottliebsen, columnist for The Australian, reminded his readers:
We are fortunate in Australia to have a section of the criminal code that covers politicians and public servants who make false statements or mislead the public. It sets out that if they are guilty of an offence they can be punished with 12 months jail. Every word uttered by ministers as they vandalised the network and created higher prices needs to be examined to determine whether an offence has been committed. It’s not my job to say they have committed an offence and, as is their right, the politicians will fight any prosecutions with great vigour
(Robert Gottliebsen, The Australian,30 March 2017)
These laws may now be applicable to various Australian politicians, including Singtel-Optus director Gladys Berejiklian, who claimed the COVID vaccines would prevent transmission, despite having no basis to say so.
News.com.au's Frank Chung has compiled their statements, including Berejiklian's:
Gladys Berejiklian
August 25, 2021: “Don’t hold off, get your hands on any vaccine you can. Keep yourself [and] your loved ones safe. It’s also doing a community service by helping stop the spread and keeping people out of hospital. The quicker we are vaccinated, the quicker we will get to the next target.”
September 7, 2021: “I wouldn’t want to be in the room with lots of people who aren’t vaccinated. And I certainly hope that all of our colleagues [parliamentarians] are vaccinated. That’s the message we’ve been sending the community. And obviously as workplaces open up, every workplace will have their policies according to what the government is indicating. But I just want to make this point very clear — if people want to enjoy the things we have missed such as a meal or any other issue, or any other venue, they’re going to have to be vaccinated.”
September 13, 2021: “I don’t want people to think they can sit back and let everybody else do the hard work [getting vaccinated]. We all have choices and if it’s your choice not to be vaccinated, well that might mean you cannot participate in things that [the] fully vaccinated do.”
September 15, 2021: “We don’t want anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated yet to sit at home. Come out, get vaccinated, do your bit for yourself and your family. Remember that people might say well if you’re not vaccinated, that’s on you and you might get sick — well, no. Unvaccinated people spread the disease more readily. so if you’re in a venue or somewhere and there’s unvaccinated people you’re more chance of contracting the disease from them because they don’t have that protection.”
September 20, 2021: “I just want people to acknowledge that because unvaccinated people … it’s one thing to put themselves in jeopardy, but they’re jeopardising everybody else because they’re more contagious. If you choose not to be vaccinated, it’s one thing to make that decision for yourself and your family, but you’re also making that decision, suggesting that you don’t care if you’re more contagious to other people. [People choosing not to be vaccinated] means all of us have to be on guard, because as Dr Chant and myself and everybody’s been saying, even if you’re double vaccinated and have underlying health conditions you can still be at risk. I worry for people like my parents or others in the community who are aged or fully vaccinated, but yet could still be vulnerable.”
September 27, 2021: “It is not too late. You have the option, go today, make your booking and get vaccinated not only to protect yourself and your loved ones but also the community.”
END
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