Australian Mayor Investigated for Expressing Concern About Vaccine Rollout for Town

An Australian politician is being investigated for alleged misconduct by his state’s assembly watchdog aft helium raised concerns astir the COVID-19 rollout program for his municipality successful a Barcaldine Regional Council gathering successful February.

Barcaldine Mayor Sean Dillon had made comments astir the Central West Hospital and Health Service (CWHHS) during a assembly meeting, saying helium didn’t deliberation everyone successful his jurisdiction could beryllium vaccinated wrong the allocated timeframe of 1 day.

Local media reported that his comments included that helium had “no confidence” successful wellness officials who didn’t recognize determination Queensland and thought they could vaccinate everyone “in 1 pass,” saying “it’s conscionable not going to work.”

Queensland’s Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA) is investigating whether the comments could beryllium “detrimental to nationalist confidence” successful the section vaccine drive.

The OIA has besides reportedly told Dillon that it was alleged his comments “should person been addressed straight with the CWHHS successful the archetypal instance, alternatively than successful an unfastened gathering of the council.”

The autarkic assessor said this determination “did not show high-quality leadership.”

Dillon has described the probe arsenic a “farcical, protracted, mode overblown tempest successful a teacup.”

“What I spot erstwhile I spot those claims is idiosyncratic who doesn’t work the transcript oregon ticker the video,” helium said, according to the ABC.

“I was unequivocally wide that the lone way retired of this pandemic was with this vaccine and we needed to marque definite that each connection was wide astir that and relied connected generic, cleared HHS connection channels, not effort to marque our ain up due to the fact that different determination could person been a disconnect betwixt the two,” Dillon said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gestures arsenic she speaks during a property league successful Brisbane, Australia, connected Oct.3, 2021. (Dan Peled/Getty Images)

Dillon has besides recovered enactment successful precocious places, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk besides describing the substance arsenic a “storm successful a teacup.”

“I don’t deliberation what helium said was unusual,” she told reporters connected Wednesday.

“I deliberation it’s a spot ridiculous but that’s a substance for the Independent Assessor, but you cognize those comments I deliberation were made earlier this year, and they’ve had large vaccination rates retired determination and the Mayor, Sean, I cognize him, he’s done a large job.”

Dillon has the enactment of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), who said they were prepared to instrumentality the lawsuit to the High Court if needed.

LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam said successful a statement that Dillon had the close to talk publically astir the COVID 19 vaccine rollout successful his community.

“For that matter, the close to governmental code is implied successful the Australian Constitution,” Hallam said.

“The vaccine rollout is discussed connected a regular ground by politicians astatine each levels and connected each sides of government.

“It would virtually beryllium mentioned hundreds of times a time successful the Queensland media,” helium said.

Hallam said Dillon’s comments were “thoughtful, measured and highly articulate” and was “simply seeking to correspond his community, arsenic mayors indispensable do.”

Liberal National Party integrity spokeswoman Fiona Simpson said the reports astir Dillon were “deeply concerning.”

She noted that elected officials successful Australia should beryllium escaped to explicit their views connected policies without fearfulness of prosecution.

Simpson said the politician was simply pointing retired immoderate imaginable logistical difficulties astir the vaccine rollout successful the Barcaldine region.

“I fearfulness determination is simply a genuine hazard being posed to our democracy,” Simpson said successful a statement.