Prior to the commencement of the 47th parliament, the presiding officers had told MPs, Senators and staffers the use of face masks was “strongly encouraged”. There was no mask mandate but the directive was clear. If you could not socially distance, cover up. But come Tuesday morning when MPs and Senators filed into their relevant chambers, a stark difference was clear. In the House, all Labor and Greens MPs were masked – except when at the despatch box or being sworn in.But many of the Coalition chose not to wear one. Darren Chester, Andrew Gee, Karen Andrews, Rowan Ramsey and former Speaker Andrew Wallace were the only Coalition MPs to cover up. Face masks at Parliament House are readily available at all entrances of the building. Masks have not been mandated across the country. Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told news.com.au the decision would be left to each jurisdiction. “We know that masks work,” he said.“I know, people have this expectation that the doctors would tell you what to do in the past.“The governments are the decision makers. We live in a democracy, not a technocracy.”Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cited mental health grounds for not mandating face coverings. But that advice was not given from the CMO, who said it wasn’t his area to give advice. Health Minister Mark Butler recently conceded he had gotten slack on mask-wearing but noted it was up to leaders to take up the mantle to promote their use. “I think I‘ve we’ve, as a community, and I include all of us, myself in this, have slacked off a bit about mask wearing in indoor spaces. We know that that is effective,” he told 3AW.
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