"The federal government can't legislate that. We don't have the power to do that," he said of mandating vaccine passports during an interview. He noted that this is because issues of public health are managed by state governments.
Morrison pointed out that private entities like workplaces and businesses may be able to require proof of vaccinations, but only if there is a state law that gives them that right. (Related: "Zero COVID" nations with strict tyranny and heavy-handed vaccine compliance seeing biggest explosion of new "cases.")
"State governments can put those in place," he said, referring to laws mandating vaccine passports. But he also stressed that, currently, it is illegal to ask customers their vaccination status. Businesses should not attempt to put any vaccination-related restrictions in place until a law allowing them to do so has been passed.
"So, if venues want to do that, my advice is then they will need the backing of state public health orders to achieve that, to make those sorts of things mandatory. That's my advice," he said. "They're issues that those venues and other things will have to work through with state governments. So, ultimately, that'll be a decision for them."
Australian companies lobbying government for right to refuse unvaccinated patrons
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce warned that business leaders have asked the federal government for the right to ask people their vaccination status.
"People in private enterprise are going to say 'Look I've got rights here too," said Joyce during an interview.
"'If you want to come into my barbershop, or my childcare facility … then I have a right to say, maybe, have you been inoculated?' And if you say you haven't, I have got a right as the owner of the shop to say I can't have you sitting in a seat next to someone who has."
In a different interview, Morrison stated that his cabinet will be debating whether to give businesses the right to not let unvaccinated Australians into their property. But, at the end of the day, he warned that only state governments have the power to make such decisions.
Morrison's cabinet is also considering whether to pass a policy that will give vaccinated people greater freedoms during future lockdowns. These freedoms would give them the right to avoid most restrictions placed upon unvaccinated individuals.
The goal of such a policy is to coerce those on the fence about getting the experimental and side effect-riddled COVID-19 vaccines by making it difficult to live normal lives.
"It's simple. If you're vaccinated you are less of a public health risk. You're less likely to get [COVID-19], you're less likely to be hospitalized and you're less likely to die from it," said Morrison without evidence. "So in the circumstances, it only stands to reason there will be exemptions for you."
Future vaccine passport plans in place
Australia is already developing an app that will act as the country's vaccine passport. If Australian businesses obtain the legal right to ask a potential customer's COVID-19 vaccination status, this passport will be used to verify it.
As well as providing businesses and the government will real-time access to a person's COVID-19 information, the app will also store immunization data against other diseases.
Morrison said the vaccine passports would be introduced in the future as part of the federal government's four-step plan out of the endless and brutal coronavirus lockdowns.
Under the second phase of the roadmap, "special rules" will be implemented to allow the vaccinated to enjoy greater freedoms. The second phase will be triggered once 80 percent of all individuals in every single state jurisdiction are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination statuses will be verified through the use of the app that shows the digital vaccine passports.
As of press time, only 15 percent of Australians are fully vaccinated. Another 18 percent have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and are awaiting a second dose.
Learn more about the attempts to push vaccine passports in Australia and other countries by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.
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