Business is pleading for clarity as open borders loom

There’ll be no compulsory vaccination for some workers, but businesses are pleading for answers on whose job it is to check customers.

With less than a fortnight until borders open, businesses are pleading for urgent clarity on Covid rules after Premier Steven Marshall rejected calls to impose mandatory vaccination on hospitality, retail and tourism workers.

Business leaders fear individual operators face hefty legal bills if left to enforce the vaccination of staff, as well as the potential nightmare of having to check if customers are double jabbed.

Peak industry groups have called on the state government to make vaccinations mandatory for workers where there is face-to-face interaction with customers.

It comes as other states drop restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated.

Queensland has now announced pubs, clubs, nightclubs, hotels, restaurants and music venues will be free from all restrictions provided all patrons and staff are fully vaccinated.

Business SA chief executive Martin Haese said his group was “being inundated” by members seeking clarification on many scenarios which may follow the reopening of the state borders.

“Vaccinations rates are slowing across South Australia, and this is of growing concern for businesses that do not want to see the reopening of the state’s borders compromised,” he said.

“It is now critical for the state government to use all possible levers to protect South Australians before opening the borders on 23 November.”

But Mr Marshall said the government would not consider mandatory vaccinations for workers “at this stage”, beyond those introduced for health staff, police and the aged-care sector.

“We don’t want to make it mandatory in SA, except when we received specific health advice from the chief public health officer or national cabinet,” he said.

Mr Marshall said quarantine requirements for employees exposed to Covid-19 were expected to be released “within days”.

Law Society of SA president Rebecca Sandford expected an escalation in expensive legal disputes over vaccination requirements at work.

“Generally, it is likely that properly implemented mandatory workplace vaccine policies would be legal,” she said.

She said in many cases businesses would need to seek legal advice to ensure they were not breaching workplace or discrimination laws.

Australian Hotels Association chief executive Ian Horne said there was still confusion about what rules would apply in SA once vaccination targets were reached.

“If you are only allowing double vaccinated people in, it must apply to staff,” he said.

“What happens if just one employee says they won’t – do you terminate them, suspend them?”

Manager of the Hotel Metropolitan, Damian Peterson, would like to see staff Covid vaccines made mandatory. He is pictured with fully vaccinated staff member Malou Helder. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Damian Peterson, who manages the city’s Hotel Metropolitan, said he was “110 per cent” in favour of the government ordering hospitality staff to be vaccinated.

“We still haven’t got the complete picture from government or SA Health on how to recognise if someone is double vaxxed, and it is still not clear what our rights are as business owners if a customer does come in who is not doubled vaccinated,” he said.

“This hotel has five entrances and it would cost around $12,000 a week to man them to check people, which is just not practical.”