Chasing Immunity: How Viable Is a Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Scheme for Australia?

When he first announced Australia's acquisition strategy for the COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison alluded to the possibility of a mandatory vaccination scheme. The statement was met with significant backlash and Mr Morrison promptly rescinded the statement focusing instead on his desire to reach high levels of voluntary vaccine coverage. Nevertheless, interesting legal questions about the possibility of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination arose. This article explores the possible legal frameworks for implementing a mandatory vaccination scheme in Australia as well as the associated ethical dilemmas. Furthermore, it argues that a mandatory vaccination scheme, while possible and arguably ethical, would have undesirable implications resulting in popular opposition and decreased compliance with other voluntary vaccines such as childhood vaccination and seasonal influenza. Consequently, a voluntary scheme based on incentives and transparent provision of information is much more likely to achieve the desired uptake.