Anti-vaccine protestors approach parents and children waiting for vaccination on Auckland's North Shore. Video / Supplied
Right-wing Australian politician Pauline Hanson has been slammed for making "irresponsible and dangerous" views about Covid-19 and demanding a royal commission into the country's pandemic response.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath tore into the One Nation leader during a press conference on Sunday.
D'Ath also took aim at anti-vaccine conspiracytheories being spread by coalition government MPs and senators.
Speaking to an online anti-vaccine mandate event, Senator Hanson claimed Australians had been "lied to" about how many people had died during the pandemic.
Pauline Hanson claimed Australians had been "lied to" about the number of people who had died during the pandemic. Photo / Getty Images
"I'm going to stand on a platform that I believe that we need a royal commission into Covid and the way it was handled," she said.
"We've had premiers, health professionals and other people that have just bumbled their way through this.
"They haven't been truthful with the public and it means we need to have answers to this."
D'Ath was quizzed about the royal commission calls at a press conference in Brisbane, where she slammed Hanson and other "anti-vaccination elected officials".
"Maybe they should have a royal commission into the number of elected with anti-vax sentiment and what damage that's done in people coming out and getting vaccinated and believing these false truths out there about the safety of vaccines and about whether Covid is real and where it's come from," she told reporters.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has slammed Pauline Hanson. Photo / Getty Images
"I'm just appalled by that."
D'Ath said coalition backbenchers in both houses of federal parliament had done "so much damage" to Australia's pandemic response.
"They have a lot to answer for," she said.
D'Ath also took aim at the Morrison government's Covid-19 messaging, claiming some of its members had been undermined mandatory vaccination orders.
D'Ath said politicians who have claimed "segregation" stemming from vaccine mandates were "irresponsible and disgusting".
