ALL OF US NEED TO ENLIST IN THIS BATTLE FOR OUR FREEDOM

AS we all watch the debilitating fallout from rolling lockdowns across Australia, it is obvious our country is at war with a virus.

As with any war, every Aussie must unite to defend our freedom, our rights and the economic future of our country.

On Friday, I concluded a one-on-one teleconference link with Governor-General David Hurley and was buoyed by his determination to see Australia come out of this pandemic as quickly as possible. This is no longer a debate about the “the jab”.

Australia must get to a 70-plus per cent threshold as soon as possible if we are all to avoid an economic tsunami.

Once we hit 70-plus per cent, we can learn to live with this virus as we have done for centuries when challenged by all forms of influenza.

The new normal will see borders largely remain open and lockdowns will be seen as an absolute last measure – if at all.

Right now, the stress and uncertainty of these sporadic lockdowns is costing more lives than the pandemic itself.

Vaccination may be a personal choice but I strongly implore those who are still undecided to get the jab.

In war, we must show a united front.

Some people will point the blame at the federal government for what they see as a mismanaged vaccine rollout while others will blame the state for being “trigger happy” on lockdowns and border closures.

As with all matters, the voters will be the ultimate judges when that time comes.

Right now, people haven’t got the time or patience to hear the political blame game. We are at war.

There are three vaccines in the market right now and we must unite to get to a vaccination level where our economy – and nation’s future – can be brought off life support.

Already, many large and small employers are asking if they can introduce “no jab/ no job” protocols in their

workforce. I urge the unions and federal government to work as one to find balance in this conversation so businesses don’t go to the wall.

Employers, like employees, have a right to ensure that their customers (and fellow employees) are protected by a workforce that is fully vaccinated.

Anti-smoking laws, zeroalcohol protocols and anti- drug laws exist to protect workers and customers, so why not vaccination laws?

Gold Coasters know that we must all put the mistakes of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout behind us and rally together to get our national vaccination rate into the 70-plus per cent bracket.

I have every faith that Gold Coasters will meet that target by Christmas.

Having spoken with the Governor-General on Friday, it is clear to me that political leaders at all levels have a unique window of opportunity to rally the support of all Aussies to meet this target.

To do this, Gold Coasters need to know that the light at the end of the tunnel will shine brightly – both economically and socially.

Once we reach an effective “herd immunity” level, we need to know that the draconian lockdown measures will be forever in the past.

With certainty comes confidence and with confidence comes hope.

Right now, hope for our 66,000 small businesses is in the same trash can as the perishable goods they have lost.