Ray Hadley has slammed the state government after discovering it’s not necessary to obtain a medical certificate for a mask exemption.

Individuals can write up a statutory declaration signed by a JP, which confirms the identity of the person, to use as a valid exemption.

Ray says this is a “bizarre order”, with the Australian Medical Association claiming doctors are too busy with COVID to oversee mask exemptions.

“Either the NSW government is fair dinkum or it’s not.

“If this lockdown continues into October the government will have surrendered its right to govern! Because through its own inadequacies it’s lost control of the virus.”

NSW Shadow Health Minister Ryan Park told Ray “it’s absurd” and needs to be rectified.

“Most of us have decided to try and do the right thing but if people decide not to do the right thing this virus will run rampant.”

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Australian Medical Association NSW President Dr Danielle McMullen told Ray Hadley statutory declarations are hoped to take pressure off GPs.

Multiple reports of people intimidating doctors and receptionists into handing out exemptions have been submitted to the AMA, she said.

“This behaviour is unacceptable and we needed a way to be able to protect our members, but also allow police to enforce these important mask rules.

“I would hope, actually, that 18 months into a pandemic, people who already have those conditions would’ve discussed it with their GP already, so it’s a bit of a moot point.

“[But] there is the alternative of a stat dec, which obviously has some legal background that police can investigate if they think it’s a false declaration.”

Press PLAY below to hear Ray confront Dr McMullen on the new potential for system abuses