Rolling out the Vaccine New World Order; Getting the Corporates to Do the Dirty Work By Bruce Bennett
Here is the latest I have found on the vaccinate passport push here in Oz, which seems to involve getting employer and business leaders to do all the work. I imagine though that while workers could be forced to be vaccinated, until maybe a High Court legal challenge, consumers may vote with their feet. If the big supermarkets start demanding vaccine proof to customers, time to boycott them! Independent supermarkets who do not enforce this will do well.
“Millions of workers could be forced to get the Covid-19 jab or lose their jobs after Scott Morrison said employers could consider mandating vaccinations for their staff.
The Prime Minister said the Commonwealth and state and territory governments would not mandate vaccinations but said private companies could make their own decisions.
He warned businesses would have to comply with existing employment laws and said they would be taking their own legal advice.
But he mentioned several industries where it would be 'reasonable' for bosses to demand jabs under employment laws.
These may include airline workers, retail workers, supermarket workers and aged care workers.
'People like airline workers, where they are coming in contact with people carrying the virus,' Mr Morrison said.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce has already said he is considering mandating vaccinations for his air crew.
'Ultimately employers need to consider these matters and make their own decisions remembering we do not have a mandatory vaccination policy in this country,' the Prime Minister said.
Mr Morrison said an employee would find it hard to argue they were being discriminated against if they were not allowed to do their job because they were unvaccinated.
'It would be unlikely that a person being vaccinated or unvaccinated would be related to whether they are of a particular gender or a particular disability or a particular race or something like that,' he said.
'These are the matters as indicated to us that would have to be considered in making that judgement. Not having a vaccine is not a disability.'
State and territory public health orders already require quarantine workers to be jabbed and will next month require aged care workers to get vaccinated, except in Victoria.
After Friday's National Cabinet meeting with state premiers, Mr Morrison also revealed rapid antigen testing will be rolled out nationwide to use in the next phase of opening up, once 70 per cent of Australians are vaccinated
Can an employer require an employee to be vaccinated?
In the current circumstances, the overwhelming majority of employers should assume that they can't require their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
There are limited circumstances where an employer may require their employees to be vaccinated. Whether an employer can require their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus is highly fact dependent, taking account of the workplace and each employee's circumstances.
Relevant factors an employer should consider include:
- whether a specific law (such as a state or territory public health law) requires an employee to be vaccinated (see Legislation and public health orders requiring vaccination against coronavirus)
- whether an enterprise agreement, other registered agreement or employment contract includes a provision about requiring vaccinations
- if no law, agreement or employment contract applies that requires vaccination, whether it would be lawful and reasonable for an employer to give their employees a direction to be vaccinated (which is assessed on a case by case basis).
Further considerations may include whether employees have a legitimate reason for not being vaccinated (for example, a medical reason), and how protections for employees under anti-discrimination laws may apply.
Employers should get their own legal advice if:
- they're considering making coronavirus vaccinations mandatory in their workplace, or
- they operate in a coronavirus high-risk environment (for example, health care or meat processing).
Source: Fair Work
The home Covid-19 tests, which gives results in 10 minutes and are between 50 and 80 per cent accurate, are being used now in aged care homes and for quarantine workers.
Mr Morrison said the more accurate PCR tests - which are the ones used at testing centres - are more useful while Australia is trying to snuff out every case during the current 'suppression phase'.
'While you're in the suppression phase knowing who has that and where they have been and who they have been with and having to follow that up and isolating close contacts is a very important part of the public health response to the outbreak and the rapid antigen testing has a important role to play,' he said.
'There will be further work done to prepare for those phases and how rapid antigen testing can be better used in those phases but for now, it will be continue to be used in a targeted way and we will continue to work with the Therapeutic Goods Administration to see more of those tests coming available so they can be used for those purposes.'
It comes as 16million Australians are in lockdown in Queensland, Victoria and NSW.
NSW suffered its worst day of the pandemic to date on Friday, with 291 new cases recorded.
Victoria reported six new cases and Queensland had 10 new infections.
According to latest data, 21.38 per cent of Australians have had two doses of a vaccine, with a record 240,039 jabs administered on Thursday.
At least week's national cabinet meeting all premiers and chief ministers agreed that lockdowns would become much 'less likely' when 70 per cent of Aussies are vaccinated and would be almost obsolete once 80 per cent are jabbed.
Under Mr Morrison's four-step re-opening plan, a state or territory can move to phase B when the national vaccination rate hits 70 per cent and the rate in that state also hits 70 per cent.
What are the four phases of opening up?
- Vaccinate, prepare and pilot (from July 14)
Arrival caps cut in half to 3,035 a week; early, stringent and short lockdowns if outbreaks occur; trials of seven-day home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals in South Australia; medicare vaccination certificates available on apps like apple wallet
- Post vaccination phase (when 70 per cent are jabbed, expected late this year)
Lockdowns less likely but possible'; vaccinated people face reduced restrictions; caps for unvaccinated arrivals increased; a larger cap for vaccinated arrivals with 'reduced quarantine requirements'; capped entry for students and economic visa holders
- Consolidation phase (when 80 per cent are jabbed, time not announced)
Lifting all restrictions for outbound travel for vaccinated travellers; no caps for vaccinated arrivals; increased caps for students and visa holders; more travel bubbles being set up with countries such as Singapore; booster shots rolled out
- Final phase (percentage or time not announced)
Uncapped arrivals for vaccinated people without any quarantine and uncapped arrivals for unvaccinated people with testing before departure and on arrival
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Mr Morrison said he hopes this phase will be achieved before the end of the year but warned the timing 'is entirely up to how the nation responds to this challenge we're setting for ourselves.'
This phase will make lockdowns 'less likely' and will give doubled-vaccinated people 'special rules' to allow them more freedom than Aussies who refuse a jab.
'If you get vaccinated, there will be special rules that apply to you. Why? Because if you're vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk,' Mr Morrison said.
A 'small working group' involving the Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania has been set up to determine which restrictions will not apply to the double-vaccinated.
The Prime Minister warned that some localised lockdowns may be required in phase B but 'broad-based metropolitan-wide lockdowns' shutdowns will not be needed.
'Lockdowns in phase B are less likely, but they are possible... they may be necessary but they are not something that you would normally expect,' he said.
'Once we get into phase B, then the calculus does change and lockdowns do cost a lot.
'Where you have that higher level of protection then there is more discretion exercised. That's why that phase is referred to as less likely, but possible.'
Mr Morrison said 'track, trace, isolate and quarantine remain very important parts of the program' in phase B.
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Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason. Pictured: Sydney Airport before lockdown
The phase will increase the cap for vaccinated Australians arriving from overseas and allow 'reduced' quarantine requirements such as home quarantine - as well as capped entry for students and economic visa holders.
Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason.
Travel bubbles will be set up with safer countries such as Singapore to allow vaccinated travellers to fly in without quarantine.
Mr Morrison said a country would be deemed safe if it has 'the same sort of vaccination levels as Australia'.
Phase C will remove all domestic restrictions on double-jabbed Aussies and abolish caps on returning vaccinated Australians.
There is no vaccination rate set for phase D, which will remove almost all rules except for testing of unvaccinated arrivals and quarantine for arrivals from 'high risk' places.
'It is too hard to say what the situation will be down the track,' Mr Morrison said.
'It will depend on the booster program, which we have ample vaccines for.
'But the durability and the proof of those vaccines over time, there are too many unknowns before we can understand life as normal, but that's certainly where we are heading.'
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