The SA government is facing increasing pressure to ease vaccine mandates imposed on emergency services as the Omicron wave eases and pushback increases.
If elected, Family First candidate Tom Kenyon has vowed to introduce a bill aiming to protect religious freedoms — including the right to refuse a COVID-19 vaccination.
The former Labor MP said people should not have to lose their jobs because of their faith.
"The first thing I will do in parliament, if I'm elected at the state election, is introduce a bill on religious freedom," he said.
"That's the point of this bill — it's to protect religious institutions who seek to employ people of their own faith … it will also seek to protect people who for whatever reason take action as a result of their faith."
"For instance, those who choose not to have the COVID-19 vaccine because they have a genuine religious objection to it."
The newly resurrected Family First party has used the case of Cameron Lock — a teacher who has had to take leave from Tyndale Christian School — to push for an end to the government-imposed vaccine mandate.
"People like Cameron shouldn't lose their jobs just because they have a faith position," Mr Kenyon said.
"What we are seeing around the world is these mandates are falling away now anyway because they are being seen to be ineffective at achieving public health goals."
Earlier today, South Australia's police union called for unvaccinated officers to be allowed to work from home.
Police Association of South Australia president Mark Carroll said about 70 union members were currently off work after refusing to receive a vaccine.
He said the current situation — along with positive cases and isolation requirements — was putting pressure on the workforce, creating a "full-blown staffing crisis".
On Sunday, a mandate for Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) staff to have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination came into effect.
United Firefighters Union of SA Secretary Max Adlam said 57 firefighters had been told they could no longer work for the MFS.
"We really question the timing of it given that we are told the peak has actually passed," she said.
"Today I have had information from one member who has been employed as a firefighter for 35 years and suddenly he is told he is no longer able to be a firefighter.
Chairman of the Immunisation Coalition Rod Pearce said there needed to be ways for unvaccinated members of the community to still be productive.
"There are circumstances when someone [who] is not vaccinated should be considered part of the community and can still be working, can still be treated, still be given that respect," he said.
"I am comfortable to work with SAPOL, with the union, to say let's get people working, let's understand that, while they may not choose to have a vaccine — it may not be a position we necessarily support — wouldn't it be good if we could keep them productive, working safely."
Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams said allowing unvaccinated officers to return to work could encourage the spread of anti-vaccination sentiment within the force.
Ms Williams said police had "an obligation" to provide a service to the community and "have people in the workplace able to do the job".
"At the moment, in terms of reducing transmission, their personal safety and the safety of the public and other officers, they're not able to come to work," she said.
Premier Steven Marshall said the state had "very few mandates" in place.
"Vaccination is our pathway to reduce restrictions in SA," he said.
The University of Adelaide today issued a statement to students, saying it would not require them to have COVID-19 vaccinations in order to attend its campuses, for now.
Vice-chancellor Peter Hoj said the state's high vaccination rates, the "low age profile" of the university's community and the safety measures in place formed part of the decision.
"There is no vaccination mandate in the wider community, and we are not aware of any hospitalisation among members of the university community," he said in the statement.
"This, combined with Omicron's ability to transmit to and from vaccinated individuals as well as unvaccinated individuals, makes it unclear that a vaccination mandate will result in a sufficient reduction of risk to justify a mandate."
Flinders University is consulting staff and students on the issue and expects to announce its position before the end of the month.
