The South Australian business community is calling on the state government to mandate vaccinations in high-risk industry settings such as those where staff frequently interact with the public or in work environments unable to socially distance.
On behalf of the members of the South Australian Business Chamber, we made this call last week. Now, we repeat this statement in conjunction with our colleagues from the Australian Hotels Association, the Restaurant and Catering Association, the Independent Retailers Association, the Tourism Industry Council of South Australia, and the Wine Industry Association.
Together, we represent the vast majority of customer-facing employers in South Australia.
However, it is not acceptable to put the decision to mandate vaccinations onto the shoulders of tens of thousands of individual business owners. Not only does it leave employers open to a potential minefield of industrial relations issues, but it could also put at risk the vitally important relationship between employers and employees. That is why we would like for the state government to make the call.
The recently released the South Australian Business Chamber William Buck Survey of Business Expectations told us that most businesses sought the government to set mandatory vaccinations. While there is not a call for blanket mandatory vaccinations, we encourage the state government to expand the number of mandated sectors. If South Australia is to move beyond the restrictions that are continuing to impact sectors such as those working in hospitality, a ninety per cent vaccination rate is unlikely to happen any time soon unless more sectors are mandated.
By doing so, we protect those in the higher risk, public-facing sectors where the risk of becoming a hotspot is higher. If declared a hot spot, employers risk losing their staff for two weeks while they isolate. Currently, it is unclear what happens if a COVID case is found in their business, if they will need to shut the doors and who bears that cost. For industries such as tourism, retail and hospitality, this could mean that the doors close for good.
Over the last 20 months, South Australian businesses have thankfully fared better than their eastern state counterparts. Our state’s successful management of COVID-19 is due mainly to good leadership and a strong sense of community that we have maintained here in South Australia. While we respect an individual’s choice, those who have the choice should make the choice to protect those who do not have the choice. Many individuals are immunocompromised and young children are not yet eligible for vaccination. They are not able to choose to be vaccinated, so we must protect them. We must ensure that we do not force South Australian employers to be judge and jury in their own businesses.
