As the NRL gears up for their May 28th restart, the QLD government has announced a ‘no jab, no play’ policy. Players will be banned from playing in QLD if they refuse to get the flu shot on non-medical grounds. Last week a spokesperson for the NRL announced that 97% of their players, staff and officials had received the jab. However, a number of players announced their opposition, with two of the Gold Coast Titan’s players initially being stood down due to their refusal. Whilst they have since been given the clear to play again on the basis of receiving the shot and medical grounds, the question as to whether the NRL can force vaccinations on its members has raised much debate in the community.

Similarly, the broader implications of this policy has been felt more so now than ever before as rumours stir about a compulsory coronavirus vaccine. We were joined by Professor David Hunter, a senior lecturer in Ethics and Professionalism within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide to discuss the ethical challenges with enforcing such a policy.