It is good to see even at this 11th hour, 14 Australian Senators and MPs (names below), writing to Albo to oppose Australia signing the World Health Organization pandemic treaty. We know that the UK is not going to sign, claiming it is unacceptable to have to give away a large quantity of its vaccines to the Third World. There was something of a footnote on the question of national sovereignty too, but it was a good start.
There is rising opposition across the world. It is unlikely a globalist socialist like Albo (remember his antics in the Voice referendum) will pull out, but maybe international opposition will delay the final document, kicking the can down the road. Certainly, the election of Trump will be a giant prick in the WHO re balloon. One can hope; a lot depends upon that election.
https://news.rebekahbarnett.com.au/p/australian-parliamentarians-push
"Fourteen Australian Senators and MPs have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging his Government to reject impending WHO pandemic reforms, which are to be voted on by WHO Member States at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) at the end of this month.
In the letter, parliamentarians from the Coalition (Opposition) and the crossbench expressed "deep concern" at the prospect that the Australian Government might commit Australia to proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) and separately, to a WHO Pandemic Treaty.
The Australian Government says that the proposed IHR amendments and WHO Pandemic Treaty are necessary to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics and other international health emergencies.
However in their letter, dated 14 May, the 14 Senators and MPs warn that the reforms "pose a significant threat to Australia's autonomy and independence on the global stage."
"If adopted, and implemented into Australian domestic law, the World Health Organisation will hold an unacceptable level of authority, power and influence over Australia's affairs under the guise of declaring "emergencies."
The letter acknowledges "a large volume of correspondence from Australians who are rightly concerned about the IHR Amendments and the WHO Pandemic Treaty,", which, taken together, "will transform the WHO from an advisory organisation to a supranational health authority dictating how governments must respond to emergencies which the WHO itself declares."
Public consultation on the reforms attracted 4,521 submissions from individuals and stakeholder groups in December last year, indicating a high level of interest in the matter within the community.
The letter also notes that the impending vote on the reforms later this month is in breach of the WHO's own rules. The final IHR amendments are meant to be circulated four months in advance of the vote to allow the 194 Member States time to review them (Schedule 2, Article 55). However, updated versions of the IHR amendments presented in April 2024 were still in draft form, and were still being negotiated by the working group as late as last week.
This means that, in contravention with WHO guidelines, Member States still have not received the final versions of the documents, with mere weeks remaining for them to consider how the complex amendments will interact with the proposed WHO Pandemic Treaty and national domestic law before voting at the WHA, which is scheduled to take place between 27 May to 1 June.
Moreover, the letter argues that the WHO Pandemic Treaty "goes well beyond [the WHO's] jurisdiction" of "assist[ing] Governments upon request, in strengthening health services."
"We call on the Government to reject the IHR Amendments and the WHO Pandemic Treaty at [the 77th World Health Assembly]," concludes the letter, signed by the below members of the Coalition and the crossbench. At the top of the list is vocal WHO critic Senator Alex Antic, who has frequently referred to the WHO reforms as a "power grab."
Alex Antic, Senator for South Australia
Pauline Hanson, Senator for Queensland
Matt Canavan, Senator for Queensland
Malcolm Roberts, Senator for Queensland
Ralph Babet, Senator for Victoria
Terry Young MP, Member for Longman
Tony Pasin MP, Member for Barker
Matthew O'Sullivan, Senator for Western Australia
Colin Boyce MP, Member for Flynn
Hon Luke Howarth MP, Member for Petrie
Hon David Gillespie MP, Member for Lyne
Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, Member for New England
Llew O'Brien MP, Member for Wide Bay
The letter from 14 Australian elected officials urging the Government to reject the WHO reforms comes after the UK Government announced this month that it does not intend to sign onto the WHO Pandemic Treaty at the impending WHA.
"We will only support the adoption of the accord and accept it on behalf of the UK, if it is firmly in the UK national interest and respects national sovereignty," a spokesperson for Britain's Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement to Reuters.
In the US, 49 Republican Senators have written to President Biden strongly urging him "not to join any pandemic related treaty, convention, or agreement being considered" at the upcoming WHA.
"Instead of addressing the WHO's well-documented shortcomings, the treaty focuses on mandated resource and technology transfers, shredding intellectual property rights, infringing [on] free speech, and supercharging the WHO," they wrote.
Additionally, 22 US Attorney Generals are calling on President Biden to reject the IHR Amendments and WHO Pandemic Treaty.