Covid vaccine mandates: Pauline Hanson grills Pfizer and Moderna representatives at Senate hearing on whether Australians were ‘forced’ to get the jab

EXCLUSIVE

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson erupted at a Senate hearing last Thursday when executives at Pfizer Australia said no one was “forced” to get the Covid vaccine.

Hanson questioned representatives from Pfizer and fellow pharmaceutical giant Moderna about the efficacy of vaccine mandates during the Covid pandemic, later saying their responses were “pathetic” and “arrogant.”

Neither Pfizer nor Moderna enforced mandatory vaccination in Australia, and the jab was always optional; however, many industries and government departments had vaccine mandates during the pandemic, some of which are still enforced.

The questioning took place during a Senate Education and Employment Committee hearing for a bill Senator Hanson had introduced called the 2022 COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill — which would eliminate discrimination based on a person’s Covid-19 vaccination status. to research.

Krishan Thiru, Country Medical Director of Pfizer Australia and New Zealand, and Brian Hewitt, Head of Regulatory Affairs, attended the hearing for the pharmaceutical company.

At one point during the tense proceedings, Dr Hewitt rejected claims that Australians were ‘forced’ to take the Covid vaccine.

Senator Hanson was skeptical of this claim and asked Dr. Hewitt: ‘You were in Australia during Covid-19?

“You must have been fully aware that people — nurses, doctors — people in order to have their jobs, to keep their jobs, were forced to get vaccinated.

“Are you retracting your statement that they weren’t coerced?”

Dr. Hewitt once again rejected the claim, stating that he was “firmly convinced… no one was forced” to take the Covid vaccine.

“Mandates or vaccine requirements are set by governments and health authorities,” he added.

“I believe everyone was given the opportunity to get a vaccine or not to get a vaccine.”

Senator Hanson fired back, telling the Pfizer representative, “Many Australians will disagree with you on that.”

The Conservative firefighter was highly critical of the pharmaceutical representatives when she spoke to Daily Mail Australia after the hearing.

Pfizer Australia and New Zealand’s Country Medical Director Krishan Thiru (right) and Head of Regulatory Affairs Brian Hewitt (left) led the hearing for the pharmaceutical company

The One Nation leader questioned Dr. Hewitt on his rejection of claims Australians were ‘forced’ to take the Covid vaccine

“Their answers were pathetic,” she said.

“They dodged the questions and didn’t want to be there. They were rude and arrogant.’

Senator Hanson had “pressed” for the Senate investigation, claiming that Pfizer and Moderna initially “refused” to attend.

She then contacted Tony Sheldon, the chairman of the Education and Employment Legislation Committee, to tell both companies “to appear” at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

“It was pathetic to say the least and I blame our governments for forcing this on people,” she continued.

Senator Hanson recalled asking at one point about the vaccine’s rare side effects, which she says led to a delayed response from Moderna’s representatives.

“I asked Moderna, “What do you say to those people with side effects from the Covid vaccine?

” They were stunned,” she said.

Senator Hanson told Daily Mail Australia that both Pfizer and Moderna had initially refused to present the hearing, claiming their representatives were ‘dodging questions’

Covid vaccines are voluntary for Australians, but some industries still require workers to be vaccinated. (Pictured: A woman getting vaccinated in Whalan, Sydney, in September 2021)

Senator Hanson expressed her damning view of vaccine mandates and her concern for the people whose livelihoods were affected by them.

“They presented a vaccine that had only 12 months of preparation before governments forced people to inject it into their arms,” ​​she raged.

“My concern is that people have lost their jobs because of (mandates). Firefighters, defense personnel, federal police, nurses.

“To this day, people are still unable to return to their jobs because of the mandate.”

Covid vaccines are voluntary for Australians, but some industries still require workers to be vaccinated.