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Can Australian govt force its people to get Covid vaccine under the law?

The right to bodily integrity is a fundamental legal principle in Australia. This means a person cannot be subject to medical treatment without consent

Coronavirus, vaccine, covid, drugs, tests, clinical trials

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Governments clearly have an obligation to protect the public’s health and welfare and vaccinations are an important means of ensuring this.

Maria O'Sullivan | The Conversation

6 min read Last Updated : Aug 21 2020 | 12:07 PM IST

Prime Minister Scott Morrison took many people by surprise this week when he said a Covid-19 vaccine would be “as mandatory as you could possibly make it”.

Although he later backtracked on the use of the word “mandatory”, he made clear the government is aiming for a 95 per cent vaccination rate in Australia.

There appears to be strong community support for the vaccine, but it is not yet clear there will be enough people willing to take it voluntarily to reach that target. Therefore, it is likely there will have to be some sort of

Topics : Coronavirus Coronavirus Vaccine Australia healthcare Scott Morrison

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