My name is Betty. I am part of a group of over 100 SA Health employees, including nurses, doctors and support staff. Between us, we have hundreds of combined years of experience that is currently being wasted as we sit on the side lines. We are standing up for our right to return to work without the requirement to have a two-dose course of any TGA provisionally approved COVID-19 vaccine, as stipulated in a Policy introduced by SA Health in November 2022.
All current and future employees and students on placement are affected by the Policy.
We do not believe it is lawful in 2023 as they do not stop transmission and can cause injury and death. Most, if not all of us, have a level of natural immunity and boosters are now not even recommended. Tasmanian and Western Australian Health departments no longer require the vaccine, so why should SA Health? We have no issues with the broader vaccination Policy, rather just the inclusion of the COVID-19 vaccines as a requirement to work or be on placement as a student.
The SA Health workers, that have been stood down throughout this time, want to return to work to continue to serve you, your families and the general public of South Australia, to assist with reducing ramping and the understaffing that is currently occurring and putting all South Australians at risk. A huge proportion of SA Health workers, only took the vaccine to keep their job and many now regret this. We are doing this to stand up for everyone's rights, including the future generations that want to work in healthcare without compromising their bodily autonomy and potentially putting their own health at risk.
We have therefore raised a dispute to have this Policy overturned or changed. However, the financial struggle over the past 18 months has been substantial and for that reason, we are asking if you can support your public health care workers, in their endeavours to maintain informed consent, medical ethics, bodily autonomy and to enable all Australians to have the right to choose. The funds will go to support the legal costs and costs of expert witnesses, brought in to help provide transparency to the science that the government has always said they have relied on.
To put the best case forward, we could really use your help. We appreciate these are difficult times for everyone but any amount will be gratefully accepted and appreciated. The less resistance we put up, the more likely they are to continue to take away our rights moving forward.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best of luck to you all, thank you so much for standing your ground ❤️✨