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 Australia's two largest states, New South Wales and Victoria, have
banned unvaccinated people from entering places such as restaurants
and shops, citing a threat to public safety, while also requiring
that they work from home.
George Christensen - a backbench lawmaker from the junior National
party - threatened to abstain from voting on government legislation
in the House of Representatives unless those rules are scrapped.
Morrison's government has a single vote majority in Australia's
lower house. Without Christensen's vote, Morrison would have to rely
on opposition support to pass legislation into law.
The prime minister is hoping to pass several pieces of key
legislation in the final sitting period of the year in a bid to
improve his standing in the polls ahead of an election that must be
held by May 2022.
"Until federal action is taken against vaccine discrimination, I
will be voting according to my conscience, or abstaining from votes
... rather than just voting with the government," Christensen said
in a statement.
[to top of second column] |
 While Morrison has said he
opposes mandatory vaccination orders, except for
health workers, he has not usurped state leaders
on the issue.
More than 80% of Australians over the age of 16
have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine
dose, while in many parts of the country, nearly
all adults have opted for inoculation.
Border rules, swift lockdowns and tough social
distancing rules have helped Australia to keep
its coronavirus numbers far lower than many
other comparable countries, with around 200,000
total cases and nearly 2,000 deaths.
(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Ana
Nicolaci da Costa)
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