Vaccine skeptic Senator Gerard Reinick changes jab injury compensation plan
Vaccine skeptic Senator Gerard Reinick has changed the jab injury compensation plan.
The access limit to the plan will be reduced from $5,000 to $1,000.
This would mean that more people can claim for lost earnings and care costs for injuries caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.
Anyone claiming compensation must have suffered a recognized adverse event as a direct result of a COVID job.
LNP senator Renick achieved change after threatening to withdraw support for the government.
On Monday, the unvaccinated senator along with One Nation and four other coalition rebels voted in favor of a bill that banned vaccine mandates.
But he vowed to withdraw support to Scott Morrison if his concerns were not addressed.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement that he had been considering changes to the compensation plan for several weeks.
But Senator Renick said the announcement came after tough talks between him and Mr Hunt and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
In exchange for a lower limit, Senator Renick will support the government at procedural motions in the Senate, but may still shy away from important bills.
He announced his shock move to withdraw his support earlier this month, writing on his Facebook page: ‘The vaccine mandate needs to be lifted immediately. They should never have been implemented but they are going to cause many issues including labor shortage, endless legal litigation, loss of livelihood, discrimination.
He also complained about rules that prevent vaccinated people from participating in society because they pose increased health risks.
‘Since when was the threat of job loss, breaking into stores, going to the gym or threatening to cross the border. It is this kind of double speech that undermines confidence in the government,’ he wrote.
Senator Renick said he wanted immediate compensation for those suffering side effects; Easy remission for patients with side effects after one shot; End of vaccine mandate; No vaccination of children and immediate opening of state borders.
Sienna Knowles (pictured), 19, suffered from a blood clot hours after her second Pfizer jab, but doctors said the cause was the contraceptive pill
The 50-year-old, who worked in finance before becoming an LNP senator in 2019, is sharing stories from people who claimed to have serious side effects after taking the vaccine, including 19-year-old Sienna Knowles.
Ms Knowles, a keen equestrian, suffered clots in her lungs, abdomen and legs a day after receiving her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Doctors diagnosed her with portal vein thrombosis (PVT), which is not a listed side effect of the Pfizer jab, and they believe she Was Contraceptive pill reaction.
But Ms Knowles and her family argue she is ‘one in a million’ in terms of blood clotting – one of many anti-vaccine stories shared by Senator Renick, and who have drawn the attention of the anti-vax brigade. has attracted.
Senator Renick has built a following among anti-vaxxers who hailed a recent Sky News interview in which he called for ‘immediate income support’ for anyone suffering the side effects of the vaccine.
under indemnity Plan Announced in August, Australians who suffer serious side effects can claim up to $20,000 in compensation – but only if the cost of their injuries exceeds $5,000, now reduced to $1,000.
Senator Renick said the threshold should be removed and wanted people to be given cash faster.
‘Payment from the scheme will not be made till next year. Those who can’t work because of a vaccine injury, now need money to meet their needs,’ he wrote on Facebook.
Five Coalition senators crossed the floor and voted to support Pauline Hanson’s bill to end vaccine discrimination. Left to right: Sam McMahon (NT), Matt Canavan (QLD), Concetta Firavanti-Wells (NSW), Gerard Renick (QLD), Alex Antik (South Africa)
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