Tuesday, 9 November 2021
The decision to mandate vaccination for staff in high-risk industry settings should not fall on the shoulders of individual employers. Protection and direction from the state government is needed across more industry settings, says a collective of peak industry bodies.
The South Australian Business Chamber Chief Executive Martin Haese says that the message could not be louder or clearer.
“We are six of South Australia’s peak industry associations and together we are calling on the state government to support businesses to protect their staff and customers.
Australian Hotels Association Chief Executive Ian Horne calls for mandatory vaccination for the entire hospitality industry to protect business owners.
“The State Government needs to protect small and medium businesses from a potential minefield of disputes with employees.
Restaurant and Catering Association Chief Executive Wes Lambert joins the call for mandated vaccinations in more industry settings.
“We are on-board with this call for the government to make the right choice here to mandate across public-facing industry sectors.
SA Independent Retailers Chief Executive Officer Colin Shearing said that employers have a duty of care to protect their workforce. “It is not the role of every individual business owner to make this call.
Tourism Industry Council SA Chief Executive Shaun de Bruyn wants individual tourism operators to be able to focus on their business, not tackling the minefield of mandatory vaccinations.
“As the borders reopen, tourism operators want to welcome back much-missed interstate and international visitors. They need to be able to do this safely.
South Australian Wine Industry Association Chief Executive Brian Smedley calls for a mandated vaccination in the wine industry given the upcoming vintage, processing of grapes and customer-facing environments for his members.
“In the cellar door, or at functions such as weddings or in winery work areas where social distancing cannot be reasonably achieved, it is really important that we seek to minimise business disruptions and to ensure we protect all staff and customers. But individual operators shouldn’t have to make this decision on their own.”
South Australia has navigated this global health pandemic with a strong sense of community and collective action. Before the borders open on 23 November 2021, the Government of South Australia needs to provide direction at this crucial time.
