Special electors meeting called for Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire to challenge COVID-19 mandates

An anti-vax group in the Lower South West has garnered enough support to trigger an electors meeting to call on a local council to request the State Government remove all COVID-19 mandates in their areas. A petition with 270 signatures has been submitted to the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire, which was enough to force the special meeting to be held at the end of this month. It is understood the campaigners, who label themselves “pro-choice,” will submit motions stating no person within the Shire can be refused entry because of their vaccination status and compensate any Shire employees who lost their job or income because they had not been jabbed. The anti-vaxxers will also advocate for the removal of all mandates and seek co-operation with the WA Local Government Association. Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire president John Bookless said he was looking forward to hearing the points raised at the meeting. “I m a great believer in democracy and freedom of speech,” he said. “We would like the result (of the special electors meeting) to come to the March meeting of council and it might come as a late item but we probably do not want it to hang over to the April meeting.” Cr Bookless said the petition submitted was a perfect example of democracy in motion and council would be happy to listen to what the pro-choice community have to say. “I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” he said. Pro-choice community representative Simone Tilley said she first had the idea for the petition after attending a Time to Unite rally in Manjimup in early January where she was first introduced to other pro-choice people. “I had already been trying to unite our community because we are so far divided, it is even worse now,” she said. “I am so blessed to have such a huge community to support me, we had about 20 people doing the petition around town and we ended up with 270 signatures.” The special electors meeting will take place on March 28 at the Bridgetown Leisure Centre.