Popular truckie Tony Fulton, co-creator of trucking app Truckwiz and the Facebook page Tones Truckin’ Stories, has confirmed to Big Rigs that a well-organised ‘protest action’ will take place in South East Queensland tomorrow morning.
Although exact details are still under wraps, Fulton tells us that an indeterminate number of truckies – although expected to be significant – will gather on a major freight route on the south side of Brisbane on Monday, August 30 for “as long as it takes” to get their pro-choice vaccination message across.
The exact time, location and other details will be revealed at 5am on the day.
“We want a guarantee from federal and state governments that there will be no mandated vaccine, and that no person, company or business can force anyone to get a vaccine to work, or go about their daily life in general,” said Fulton.
Fulton says there will also be on-site backing from a number of politicians, including One Nation Senators Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts.
At the same time a co-ordinated truck protest will take place in Canberra with political supporters including United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly, who will take the protester’s message to parliament that same morning.
Fulton said planning for Monday’s gathering has been going on for a number of days, with steps in place to ensure it is done correctly and as safe as possible.
He says it also has support from “high-ranking barristers”, BEEFitUP Australia, a campaign to provide social and economic support to rural communities, and freedom rally groups, and he wouldn’t be surprised to see as many as 50,000 people in attendance.
Fulton said one of the main reasons Monday was chosen as the day for the protest on one of the eastern seaboard’s busiest freight routes was to quash the “ridiculous” online chatter about proposed blockades for Tuesday.
“None of that was coming from a credible source but it was clear to us that if something is going to happen, it has to be done right and it has to be done by people in the transport industry,” he said.
Fulton says he wants to stress that the protest action isn’t just about the rights of truck drivers.
“It’s not just about owner-drivers, it’s a stand for anyone who feels they don’t want the vax for any reason.
“In so many other industries people are being forced to do what they don’t want to do. It shouldn’t be forced on anyone to just do their job.
“That’s the other part of it too, yes, I can get the jab and go to work and make money but as soon as I get home I’m in lockdown like everyone else so what sort of a life is that?”
Much like thousands of truckies around Australia, Fulton says he’s feeling first-hand the increasing pressure to be vaccinated in order to continue to work.
But Fulton says he’s also buoyed by the support of others in the transport industry and is prepared for any backlash.
“People have tried to go down the right channels to get their point across, but in the view of a lot of people the government are the ones breaking the law by doing this to us.
“So, they’ve left us with no other option.
“If they want to come in and bulldoze the trucks we are prepared that that may happen, but it’s really got to a head and every man has their breaking point.
“We’re fighting for freedom of choice here.”