Australian Liberal Senator Alex Antic has been detained at an Adelaide medi-hotel despite testing negative to Covid-19.
Senator Antic was reportedly escorted by police from Adelaide airport to the nearby quarantine facility today after arriving in his home state following a two-week work trip to his office in Canberra.
The Senator said it is unclear why he was taken to the medi-hotel, but blamed the decision on the “bureaucratic overlords at SA Health.”
In a video posted on Facebook, Senator Antic said it was “very curious” considering it came “at a time in which I’ve been very, very outspoken about government and bureaucratic overreach.”
The Senator said he not only tested negative for Covid, but on prior trips from Canberra he had been allowed to quarantine at home for two weeks.
“Normally, when I come back from Canberra, I quarantine at home for two weeks and go through all of those processes and I’ve indicated I’m happy to do that here, but unfortunately, the bureaucratic powers that be in this state now run this state and they have indicated otherwise,” he said.
The Senator, along with Senator Gerard Rennick, have been withholding their vote in federal parliament in protest against state-imposed vaccination mandates. Both Senators crossed the floor last week in the senate to support One Nation’s bill opposing the mandates.
Antic said it seems he was targeted “in what appears to be a political stunt,” adding, “the only inference you can really draw from this is this has been quite pre-meditated.”
“They’re not really after me, they’re after all of us,” the Senator said.
SA guidelines state, some interstate travellers may be required to complete quarantine at home using HealthCheck SA or in a medi-hotel, depending on individual circumstances.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had previously said Senator Antic was double vaccinated, a claim he made on ABC Radio Adelaide last week. Antic has denied having misled the Prime Minister, saying his medical history is personal.
