Recently retired magistrate David Heilpern. Photo Jeff Dawson When there is a vaccine there will be adverse reactions and it was this issue that former magistrate David Heilpern addressed in The Echo in January 2021 when he raised the importance of a ‘compensation scheme in Australia for adverse reactions to vaccinations. ‘There are 25 countries that have such schemes – mostly government funded with clawback from the pharmaceutical industry,’ he wrote. ‘None are perfect, but the key feature is that they do not require an applicant to prove fault or negligence by the manufacturer or the medical system – they just need to show that it is “more likely than not” that the injury or illness was caused by the vaccine.’