"The anti-vaxxers, ... are only a small, albeit noisy, minority". Michelle Grattan

As the nation proceeds — but still at an agonisingly slow pace — towards the targets of having 70 and 80 per cent of those 16 and over fully vaccinated, the next big debate is about making the jab compulsory in workplaces.

This would give the community greater protection and accelerate the lifting of restrictions and opening the economy.

Dig deeper, however, and it's a fraught issue, full of political, legal, practical and ethical complexities.

From the start, Scott Morrison has insisted his government would not make taking the vaccine mandatory.

It's not just a matter of the anti-vaxxers, who are only a small, albeit noisy, minority.

It's that many in the Coalition's ranks and, even more important, among its base would be totally against compulsion. A fair number of these have already been angered by the extent of restrictions, believing civil rights have been excessively compromised.

So when individual businesses, notably the food processor SPC, started down the road of requiring workers to be vaccinated, Morrison last week had the solicitor-general brief National Cabinet on the confusing legalities. He also said neither the federal government nor any state or territory intended to legislate to give employers the legal safety they would like.

"We are not going to seek to impose a mandatory vaccination program by the government by stealth," he said this week.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-13/mandatory-covid-vaccines-or-passport/100373454

Michelle Grattan is among the most astute journalists in Aus. Her politics is unknown.

But when Ms Grattan makes such a statement you should know that the Morrison Gov is in trouble.

M. seems to be caught between his political ideology and the necessity of making a major public health decision that will ensure the Aus economic recovery or cause the Aus ppl to experience a much longer covid epidemic and thus a delayed recovery.

The issue of mandatory vaccination has many up in arms in defence of what they see as their civil right. This week George Christensen earned a very strong condemnation, including many among the Liberal Party, for his speech in parliament denying the seriousness of covid and declaring lockdowns and mask wearing as "madness"

Federal Nationals MP George Christensen was this week censured by Parliament for his tirade in the House of Representatives during which he incorrectly claimed that masks and lockdowns "don't work".

"Our posturing politicians … the sensationalist media elite and the dictatorial medical bureaucrats need to recognise these facts and stop spreading fear," Mr Christensen said, arguing that "we have to accept" that, like the flu, people will die from COVID-19.

"What we should never accept is the systematic removal of our freedoms based on zero-risk health advice from a bunch of unelected medical bureaucrats. Open society back up! Restore our freedoms! End this madness!"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-13/coronacheck-george-christensen-speech-parliament-lockdown-masks/100372200

This issue is not about civil rights but about public health. Protecting people against their own poor judgement is an important principle of public health, eg. seat belts, limits on alcohol consumption and driving, addictive prescription drugs on S4/8 restrictions etc.

SARS-COV-2 is not something to be minimised or considered "just a flu". The nonsense posted by some on this issue, similar to Christensen's rant in PH is simply ridiculous and dangerous.