South Australia police commissioner questions whether vaccine mandate for healthcare workers

South Australia's police commissioner Grant Stevens told the Supreme Court he questioned the necessity of a third dose of COVID 19 vaccine for healthcare workers before signing off on an emergency direction earlier this year.

The Commissioner appeared in the Supreme Court today to give evidence in a trial attempting to overturn vaccine mandates for healthcare workers, which was brought forward by two nurses including inactive Adelaide Crows AFLW player Deni Varnhagen.

They are seeking a review of the state government's decision to extend the state of emergency for 28 days and extend the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

Nicola Spurrier, who was heckled after her appearance in the trial, was a commissioner who entered the Supreme Court under police guard, but was not confronted by anti-vaccine mandate protesters.

Speaking to reporters prior to his attendance at court, Commissioner Stevens hit out at Professor Spurrier's disgraceful and disappointing treatment last week.

He said that it's not something I'd like to see again.

I respect people's right to have alternative views and share those views.

Simon Ower QC, for the two nurses, said he was questioning whether the Commissioner had been satisfied that a third dose of vaccine was necessary for healthcare workers. Commissioner Stevens had asked for written advice from Professor Nicola Spurrier regarding the necessity of a third dose of COVID- 19 vaccine for healthcare workers, and received a written response on January 5, 2022, one day before the mandate was extended.

Ower pointed out ambiguous wording of Professor Spurrier's reply, which did not explicitly outline lowered risk of transmission as one of the key benefits of vaccination.

How do you think vaccine effectiveness means effectiveness against all facets of the virus? He asked.

The Commissioner replied that he did.

Commissioner Stevens responded to the fact that we were having frequent conversations with Professor Spurrier and SA Health over the course of the pandemic response.

There was already a healthcare worker's direction in place.

Further consultation and advice was provided, which resulted in a decision to include a third dose, which was signed off on. When asked if he did not think to clarify health advice, Commissioner Stevens said that was not his role nor area of expertise.

Whereas I have questions regarding the appropriateness of the direction based on that advice, then those questions are asked and an example of that would be the third tranche of the healthcare workers vaccine mandate, which saw additional allied health workers included in the mandate.

I asked questions about the need to include those.