The Western Australia Shire of York will write to Premier Mark McGowan on behalf of a group of ratepayers demanding an end to Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
More than 100 locals last month called special electors meeting in the Wheatbelt town, calling on the council to represent their concerns to the state government.
In last night's ordinary meeting, an amended motion was passed six votes to one, with the shire requesting Mr McGowan's eventual response to be made available to the public.
Shire of York President Denese Smythe — who voted in support of the motion — doesn't expect the decision will impact state rules.
"[Mr McGowan has said] that [ratepayers] going to local governments is not going to make a difference, because it's not local governments who make the mandates – it's the state government," she said.
Mandates 'unlawful', vaccines 'experimental gene therapy'
During submissions to council, passionate locals spoke at length about what they perceived as discrimination towards those who chose not to get the vaccine.
One resident said the mandates had "stopped the proper functioning of our health sector", while another claimed the vaccines were a form of "experimental gene therapy" and quoted the Nuremberg Code, designed to protect human subjects in medical research.
Ms Smythe does not support these views and says the motion being passed is about representation, not an endorsement.
"[Ratepayers] feel that because we're closest to the people as local government, that we should represent them," she said.
"We acknowledged the motions and said we would write to the ministers on behalf of concerned residents."
Last month, WA's Town of Port Hedland Council voted to sue the McGowan government over vaccine mandates after a push from local residents.
Ms Smythe says the Shire of York has no such plans.
"It will cost [Port Hedland] millions of dollars, that's a lot of money," she said.
"Clive Palmer tried, didn't he – he went to the High Court to try and lift the borders and that got knocked on the head."
