Port Hedland council debates COVID-19 motion at May meeting

The debate around the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines reared its head once again at the Town of Port Hedland ordinary council meeting on May 7.

While debating a motion to accept the minutes of the annual general electors’ meeting in March, Cr Camilo Blanco put forward an alternative motion that would see several motions from that meeting return to the council for debate.

One of the motions in question was to have two elected members advocate to State and Federal authorities for independent investigation of several claims surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.

The motion, moved by John Ashenden and seconded by Jillian Fisher, claimed there had been “excess deaths and adverse reactions In Australia since the rollout of the vaccines” and the Therapeutic Goods Administration had “misrepresented and flawed testing processes”.

It also asked for investigations into the actions of health ministers, the “operational conduct of all COVID-19 related policies and implementations”, and the “withholding and redaction of critical information from the public” during the pandemic.

“These people that bring these motions to the council have legitimate concerns, and motion one, I think, is probably one of the most important motions here,” Cr Blanco said.

“I’ve done a lot of research into this stuff, and there’s a lot of people that give me a lot a hard time about talking about it.

“I will not stop advocating for it. I want answers. I haven’t received answers. Members of the public that came to our annual general meeting want answers. They have not received answers.”

The council passed a motion authored by Cr Adrian McRae at the October 2024 ordinary council meeting, calling on the town’s administration to send letters to State and Federal leaders and health ministers asking them to suspend COVID-19 vaccines.

The TGA responded to claims in the motion on October 18, reassuring the public all COVID-19 vaccines approved in Australia had been rigorously assessed and met its high standards for safety, quality and efficacy.

“Vaccination against COVID-19 is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of death and severe illness from infection. The protective benefits of vaccination far outweigh the potential risks,” the TGA said.

Cr McRae backed Cr Blanco’s motion and claimed, without evidence, almost 20 councils had followed suit and passed similar motions.

“The council voted the absolute majority five to two on October 11 to act on this and it’s obviously set off a chain of events around the country where literally every council in the country is discussing these motions,” he said.

“Almost 20 (councils) now have actually passed similar motions to Port Hedland, so it started a wave, and it’s going to obviously get much bigger as the information comes out.

“If there was no issue with these medical products, it would be so easy. In fact, it’s a $10 test that the TGA or the Australian Government can do to make it transparent and show us this stuff is safe but of course, they will not do it.

“They won’t do it for a very obvious reason, and that reason is liability.”

Cr McRae also said some in the chamber would like to see vaccines banned.

“We’re not banning vaccines, as much as you know some of us may like to, but our communities asked us to do something, and democracy in action says that we do it,” he said.

Cr Ambika Rebello pushed back on Cr Blanco’s motion.

“We are no subject matter experts,” she said.

“We would need a detailed understanding of vaccines, public health, regulatory frameworks, and we would need to understand how to interpret complex medical data and statistical data.

“We would also need to then engage in scientific analysis. This is beyond, in my opinion, the remit of local government.

“I acknowledge that we are in an advocacy role, but in this instance, I would encourage electors to seek direct representation to State and Federal members of Parliament to submit to the relevant parliamentary inquiries or to the relevant committees to make submissions directly to the TGA and to engage with the Commonwealth ombudsman.”

Ultimately, the alternative motion presented by Cr Blanco was passed four to two.