We have until 23 January 2025 to tell JSCT why they should be rejecting the 2024 Amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR’s). Many of the JSCT Members probably don’t know much about them, so it’s up to us to inform them as they will be recommending to the Australian Parliament whether to accept them or not. Once we accept them, they will become binding on Australia and all Australians will suffer.
The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCT) is the Parliamentary Committee in charge of international treaties and is “...appointed by the Commonwealth Parliament to review and report on all treaty actions proposed by the Government before action which binds Australia to the terms of the treaty is taken”.
The power of rejecting the amended IHR’s is in the hands of the 16 members of JSCT.
The Department of Health and Aged Care are responsible for negotiating reforms to the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR’s) with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The US ‘Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic’, following a two-year investigation, concluded that the WHO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was an abject failure.
The fact that the WHO continues to recommend the use of vaccines that have been shown to be contaminated with synthetic DNA should be a red flag to this Committee.
It shows that the WHO:
The proposed 2024 Amendments to International Health Regulations (2005) (IHRs) will:
You can find out more about the issues in our Template letter you can use to send to JSCT and to prepare your Submission.
The provisions in the amended IHRs will come into force on the 19th of September 2025, unless the Australian government rejects them by the 19th of July 2025.
In supporting the amended IHRs, the federal government is flagging Australia’s intention to willingly follow the WHO’s lead, reducing Australian decision-makers to little more than rubber stamps.
According to the Department of Foreign and Affairs and Trade:
“A treaty is an international agreement concluded in written form between two or more States (or international organisations) and is governed by international law. A treaty gives rise to international legal rights and obligations. The power to enter into treaties is an Executive power within section 61 of the Australian Constitution.”
So, if Australia signs a treaty or agrees to changes to an existing treaty, it is bound by international law to abide by the treaty.
However, the Australian public and Members of Parliament can have a say in determining what that legislation entails through public consultation processes and parliamentary debate.
By filing a Submission to JSCT, you can have your say and ask JSCT to reject the IHR’s.
The WHO is not an independent health authority and derives more than 80% of its funding from non-member states including pharmaceutical companies. The largest funder of the WHO in 2022-2023 was the US, followed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK and then Germany.
The WHO encourages investment and promises a return on investment of at least US $35 for every US $1 invested and its investors can specify how the WHO is to use its funds. If, the US pulls out of the WHO as Trump has indicated he will do when returning to power in January 2025, then the next biggest funders will have the greatest influence over the WHO and how they spend their money. If this happens, we should be very worried.
Before you start