Australian businesses are calling for the right to sack workers who refuse to get the coronavirus vaccine if and when it comes to our shores.
The Australian government sent a Letter of Intent to a UK pharmaceutical company that has secured the rights to a vaccine being developed by Oxford University.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison initially said it was going to be mandatory for everyone without a medical exemption to get the jab to ensure the pandemic is eliminated from the country. He's since backtracked on that and said everyone will be strongly encouraged to be vaccinated.
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There's been fierce opposition to the vaccination and many people have said they won't get it even though it will have gone through rigorous testing.
However, they could soon find themselves out of work or without government subsidies if they object without a proper reason.
The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia said they want members to have the power to sack anyone who refuses to get the vaccination.
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Council CEO Peter Strong told 7News: "If one of my staff members says, 'no, I'm against it', then I'm going to have to say, I'm sorry you are a threat to my business.
"If you don't sack them, you don't have a business, especially if you're in a high contact area where you've got a lot of customers. It's not discrimination, that's a business decision."
This call comes off the back of the Health Minister not ruling out the potential for vaccine objectors to lose access to JobKeeper and other support payments.
Greg Hunt said: "It won't be mandatory, but it will be widely encouraged. We are keeping on the table the existing mechanisms we have such as no jab, no pay [and] no jab, no play.
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"We are one of the world's great vaccination nations and I expect very widespread uptake."
No Jab, No Play is a policy set up in several states that require children to get vaccinated if they want to attend pre-school. That means the Australian government could have a similar policy that would deny people getting support payments if they object without a health exemption.
But, Mr Hunt hopes it won't come to that.
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"I'm confident that a very, very large numbers of Australians will take it up," he said. "We reserve the right, subject to medical advice, to take steps that might assist."
Oxford University's Covid-19 vaccine has been found to be 'safe' and to provide an immune system response, the latest research has revealed.
The results of research published in medical journal The Lancet back in June concluded: "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 was safe, tolerated, and immunogenic, while reactogenicity was reduced with paracetamol."
The study, which included 1,077 participants, warned that there is still much distance to be crossed, adding: "Current results focus on immune response measured in the laboratory. Further testing is needed to confirm if vaccine effectively protects against infection."
Featured Image Credit: PA