Majority of Australian retail business owners want mandatory Covid vaccines

Vaccines should be compulsory for workers on the frontline, but the government has been accused of being “reckless” for leaving businesses to face the “legal minefield”.

Two-thirds of businesses believe Covid vaccines should be made mandatory for frontline retail staff, a new survey has found.

However, three-quarters would not be comfortable mandating the vaccine in the current environment while there were legal ambiguities, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) revealed.

Fruit and vegetable giant SPC became the first Australian company to require its staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, while Qantas announced they will be making jabs mandatory for all employees if they wish to keep their job with the airline.

There was also strong support for retail workers to be prioritised for Covid vaccines in the survey, with 83 per cent of businesses in favour of the move, the survey found.

Meanwhile, 82 per cent of retailers called for a vaccine passport system, which would allow for greater freedoms for fully vaccinated people.

It comes as Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced fully vaccinated NSW residents will be able to take advantage of eased coronavirus rules from September 13.

But retailers were hesitant about vaccine passports being used as a condition of entry into retail settings with only 57 per cent in support.

While many recognise vaccinations as Australia’s ticket to freedom, it is reckless to leave it to individual businesses to navigate the legal minefield of mandatory vaccinations, according to ARA CEO Paul Zahra

“We need to power through to the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination marks to trigger more freedoms for citizens and put an end to the lockdowns that are decimating so many businesses and livelihoods,” he said.

“Retail workers are at the coalface of the crisis and deserve prioritisation and protection.

“However, the issue of mandatory vaccinations for certain workforce cohorts is complex. “Unfortunately, the Federal Government has left this decision in the hands of employers, and this comes with great risk. Understandably, 76 per cent of ARA members are not willing to make jabs compulsory without any legal protections in place.”

Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra said there’s a great deal of confusion and legal ambiguity surrounding mandatory vaccines. Picture: Supplied

Scott Morrison has ruled out making Covid-19 vaccines compulsory in Australia but paved the way for employers to create their own policies.

The Prime Minister said the country didn’t have a mandatory vaccine policy and insisted that was not changing.

However, employers could be given several options under existing workplace laws to stop unvaccinated people from working at or entering their premises.

Mr Morrison said bosses could make a “reasonable directive to staff” to get the Covid-19 jab but this would need to comply with discrimination law.

They will need to consider whether workers are in “essential occupations” or coming into close contact with people who may be carrying the virus.

“It is not the intention of the Commonwealth or of the states and territories to create any special laws in these areas,” he previously said.

There’s a great deal of confusion and legal ambiguity surrounding mandatory vaccines, according to Mr Zahra.

The ARA was calling for urgent leadership from the Federal Government to enable the necessary legal protections should businesses decide to make vaccines mandatory for their staff, he added.

“It’s unfair to leave small businesses to navigate this legal minefield, and expose them to additional costs, without clarity or safeguards in place,” Mr Zahra said.

“The majority of our members support a vaccine passport system to allow greater freedoms for fully vaccinated people.

“Whilst it could make sense to allow businesses like hairdressers, beauty and nail salons, and restaurants that are currently shut in locked down jurisdictions to reopen and take bookings, we don’t believe such a system should apply to general retail settings.

“The ARA holds that vaccine passports are not appropriate for general retail, where they would interfere with Australian’s rights to access basic living essentials.”

Enforcing vaccine passports in general retail such as supermarkets would interfere with Australian’s rights to access basic living essentials, says the ARA. Picture: James Gourley/NCA NewsWire

The resources required to introduce store checking requirements, respond to customer inquiries as well as the potential for abuse adds a layer of distress to a retail workforce which is already struggling under the burden of Covid compliance demands, he added.

Many businesses in lockdown affected states are on the brink of financial, emotional and mental health collapse, he noted.

“Our greatest current priority is giving Australians and the retail workforce access to vaccinations,” he said.

“Only then can we see a staged reopening of society as vaccination rates improve so these businesses can thrive once again.”

Originally published as Majority of Australian retail business owners want mandatory Covid vaccines