Regional shows are in jeopardy of ending permanently if the Queensland vaccination mandates aren’t ended immediately.

Innisfail Show manager Mad DeBrincat said she it will be difficult to deliver regional shows if they couldn’t get volunteers and if they were forced to “police” entrances.

“Last year we had to abide by Check in rules and capacity limits, it was highly stressful for all and another cost burden to hire extra staff. This year our staff will have the added burden of checking Vaccination status of patrons, this will cause extra angst and abuse because of an idiotic, ill-planned discriminatory decision by the State Government, I don’t see the difference between going to the supermarket, football game or a local market to going to the show and it’s divisive for the community. Many shows don’t have the capacity or the money to be able to enforce the vaccination mandates this year and are losing a large section of their volunteer base to be able to deliver the show.” she said.

Member for Hill Shane Knuth is calling for the end of the madness of the vaccination mandate, so regional shows aren’t lost forever, and communities can return to life as normal.

Mr Knuth said regional shows were the latest example of a mandate policy that has proven to be ineffective and devoid of reason.

“We are now expecting regional shows to “police” thousands of people who enter the gates over the 2-3 days of each regional show,” Mr Knuth said.

“Regional shows run almost entirely on volunteers and the vaccination mandate has severely affected the ability for shows in regional centres to function with significantly increased costs to the point where their future will be in jeopardy. 

“Shows are the lifeblood of communities and second only to Christmas for families. To put this in danger because of poor, ineffective and ludicrous policy by the State Government is unforgivable and unacceptable.”

“The government needs to put an end to these draconic measures. There is significant data from the ABS and written submissions from the QLD Council for Civil Liberties and the QLD Human Rights Commissioner against the Extension of Powers Bill and enforcing vaccination mandates,” he said.

“The state government has ignored over 1,500 submissions against the Bill, state-wide protests, a failing health and education system, small business going under, aged care and home care services to the vulnerable under serious threat and a rise in mental health issues, all due to the vaccination mandate.

“What more evidence does the Premier need to immediately withdraw this highly destructive Bill and vaccination mandate?”

Kennedy MP, Bob Katter, said the State Labor Government were not content with sacking thousands of workers through their vaccine mandates, and were now hellbent on destroying the country show.

“We can no longer meet in the pub or a café because of these mandates, and now it looks like the country shows will be taken out too,” Mr Katter said.

“The right to assembly is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Magna Carta, the US Bill of Rights and in most constitutions. How can we function as a society if we can’t meet up for a beer or come together as a community every year at the local shows.

“Hill MP, Shane Knuth, gave a great speech^[1] on this issue pointing out how ridiculous it is now to be imposing these restrictions now that 95 percent of the population are immunised.”