Premier Dominic Perrottet told reporters on Thursday he had no knowledge that any of his own party's parliamentary colleagues had not received the requisite number of COVID-19 doses, after a Labor MP claimed there was a 'cabal' of anti-vaccination MPs hiding their vaccination status.
On Wednesday afternoon, Labor upper house MLC Walt Secord said there was a disparity between the state government requiring nurses and teachers not only to have a certain number of vaccination doses but prove it to remain employed, whereas MPs had more liberty:
"We support vaccinations for essential workers, but we also support consistency. What is good enough for our health and other government workers should be good enough for this Parliament, yet the Premier and his Government has one set of rules for the public and workers and another for its own MPs.
"They force unvaccinated workers out of the workplace but they refuse to take action against their own—members of their political party.
The shadow police minister went on to call on the Premier to take action against those in his parliamentary party who refuse to be vaccinated.
"Unfortunately, there is a cabal of anti-vaxxers within the New South Wales Liberal Party's parliamentary ranks. What kind of message does it send when the Government is kicking workers out of their jobs while allowing its own MPs to come in and out of this Parliament and evade the very rules that its party and the Government enforces on others?
"This Parliament should set an example, yet we have members on the government benches who are not fully vaccinated. Premier, why are you tolerating some of your MPs continuing to refuse to get vaccinated yet sacking health workers?
Premier Perrottet told reporters on Thursday morning he had not heard or been informed of Mr Secord's comments at that stage, but said:
"I don't know the personal medical issues and decisions of members of the Liberal Party
"My view is that people right across NSW should go and get vaccinated. Ultimately over the early parts of the pandemic we made decisions to mandate vaccination in high risk areas like aged care, disability services, health care and teaching. We havent mandated vaccination across all industries or across the board but ultimately we strongly encourage people to get vaccinated and get boosted."
FlowNews24 has consistently maintained that vaccination is a personal medical choice in consultation with qualified health professionals.